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TX  -f^q     M^'^-^^V      •         V    /'X 


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TICKNOR   AND    COMPANY,  Boston. 


LOVE -OR    A    NAME 


JULIAN     HAWTHORNE 

AUTHOR   OF   "  FORTUNE'S    FOOL,"   "  BEATRIX   RANDOLPH,"   ETC. 


BOSTON 
TICKNOR     AND     COMPANY 

1885 


Copyright,   1885 
BY   JULIAN    HAWTHORNE 


All  rights  reserved 


PRESS    OF 

ROCKWELL    AND    CHURCHILL 
BOSTON 


#37? 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER    I. 


WARREN  BELL 


CHAFIER    II. 
NELL  ANTHONY      ........       22 

CHAPTER    III. 
THEY  MEET     .........       33 

CHAPTER    IV. 
THEY  PART     .       ........       44 

CHAPTER    V. 
SETH  DRAYTON       .....       ...       54 

CHAPTER    VI. 
"  THERE'S  MY  HAND  !  "      ......       66 


547 


6  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER    VII. 
THE  SYNDICATE ,76 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
"Is  THAT  ALL?" 88 

CHAPTER    IX. 

CHAMPIONS  OF  REFORM  98 


CHAPTER    X. 
GETTING  EDUCATED 110 

CHAPTER    XI. 
DIPLOMACY 122 

CHAPTER    XII. 
THE  SENTIMENT  OF  LOVE 139 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
SUSAN  WAYNE        .       .  150 


CONTENTS.  7 

PAGE 

CHAPTER    XIV. 
BENEVOLENCE       ......         •       .166 

CHAPTER    XV. 
TOM  PEEKSKILL     ........     178 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
THE  SENTIMENT  OF  AMBITION  .....     190 

CHAPTER    XVII.        . 
THE  PAMPHLET      .....       ...     202 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK        ......     217 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
A  SURPRISE    .       .       .       .    ......     232 

CHAPTER    XX. 
QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS    ......     241 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

A  CORNER  IN  PRESIDENTS  .  256 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY 272 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
LIFE  AND  DEATH  .  290 


LOVE  — OR    A    NAME 


LOVE -OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WARREN   BELL. 

WARREN  BELL,  though  not  more  than  twenty- 
five  or  six  years  old,  had  already  trained  himself  to 
observe  certain  rules  of  conduct,  one  of  which  was, 
before  embarking  upon  an  adventure  to  find  out  all 
he  could  about  it.  This  was  the  more  creditable  to 
him  because  he  was  by  nature  impetuous  and  sud 
den.  When  he  was  quite  a  small  boy  he  had  been 
prone  to  wild  outbursts  of  passion  in  which  he 
became  uncontrollable.  In  the  midst  of  one  of 
these  paroxysms  his  father  caught  him  up,  as  he  was 
raging  and  tearing  on  the  floor,  and  put  him  on  the 
mantel-piece.  The  mantel-piece  was  of  an  old-fash 
ioned  design,  five  feet  above  the  floor,  and  scarce  as 
many  inches  wide.  It  was  a  ticklish  place  to  bal 
ance  one's  self  on  at  the  best  of  times,  but  as  a  stage 


12  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

for  a  boy  of  six  to  kick  out  his  frenzy  in  it  was 
acutely  dangerous  ;  and  Warren  had  sense  enough 
left  to  understand  it.  By  an  effort  that  brought 
out  a  cold  sweat  on  his  heated  skin  he  controlled 
himself,  and  stood  bolt  upright  and  perfectly  still,  — 
except  that  the  thumping  of  his  heart  shook  him  a 
little.  His  father  said  :  — 

"  That  proves  you  can  behave  yourself  if  you 
choose  to.  Mind  I  never  catch  you  in  a  rage 
again  ! " 

Warren  stood  there  for  an  hour  and  thought  it 
over.  Then  his  father  took  him  down,  and  his 
mother  caressed  and  comforted  him.  But  he  never 
forgot  the  insight  into  himself  which  the  incident 
had  given  him.  His  passions  and  impulses  were 
strong ;  but,  if  he  chose,  he  was  stronger.  And 
for  the  most  part  —  though  with  certain  important 
exceptions,  as  we  shall  see  —  he  did  so  choose,  in 
the  future. 

In  accordance  with  his  acquired  habit  of  looking 
ahead,  instead  of  first  jumping,  Warren  Bell  had 
studied  the  railway  time-table  in  New  York  before 
taking  the  Down-East  train  ;  and  he  had  found  that 
he  would  have  to  wait  nearly  four  hours  at  Pinetree 
Junction.  He  was  still  too  young  to  believe  that 


WARREN  BELL.  13 

he  could  afford  time  to  wait  anywhere,  and  certainly 
not  four  hours  at  Pinetree  Junction,  of  all  places  in 
the  world.     Meditating  upon  the  matter,  therefore, 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  make  the  distance  from  the 
Junction  to  Hickory  on  foot.      It  was  not  more  than 
sixteen  miles,  and  three  years  ago  a  tramp  like  that 
had  been  nothing  to  Warren  Bell.     The  road  was 
familiar  to  him  from  of  old,  and,  if  he  compassed  the 
journey  even  in  four  hours,  he  would  gain  nearly  a 
fourth  of  that  time  upon  the  train.    Besides,  although 
the  month  was  early  May,  —  and  spring  in  New  Eng 
land  has  acquired  a  bad  name,  —  it   happened  on 
this  occasion  to  be  very  fine  weather.     The  air  was 
cool  but  soft,  the  morning  sun  was  bright,  the  sky 
was  pale  at  the  horizon  and  blue  in  the  zenith,  and 
the  youthful  sap  was  flowing  in  every  tree  and  plant, 
and  in  the  veins  of  every  rightly  constituted  human 
being  as  well.     It  was  just  the  day  for  a  walk  ;  and, 
moreover,  Warren  had  an  idea  that  the  exercise  would 
help  him  to  turn  thoroughly  over  in  his  mind  the 
several  aspects  of  the  errand  on  which  he  was  revisit 
ing  the  home  of  his  boyhood. 

Accordingly,  when  he  reached  Pinetree  Junction, 
he  left  directions  with  the  elderly  and  rheumatic 
personage  who,  with  a  three-days'  beard  on  his 
meagre  jaws,  a  black  coat  that  had  become  greenish 


14  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

about  the  shoulders,  and  a  pessimistic  eye,  performed 
the  duties  of  station-master,  ticket-seller,  railway- 
gate-lifter,  and  baggage-smasher,  to  forward  his 
trunk  to  Hickory  by  the  next  opportunity ;  while 
he  himself  stretched  his  legs,  buttoned  up  his  coat, 
grasped  his  cane,  and  prepared  for  his  journey. 

"Aint  your  name  Bell?"  demanded  the  elderly 
factotum,  not  looking  at  the  person  he  was  address 
ing,  but  at  right  angles  away  from  him. 

"Yes;  and  you  are  Major  Witherbee,  aren't 
you?" 

"  Well,  I  guess  everybody  knows  who  I  am. 
Le's  see,  —  father's  dead,  aint  he?" 

"  Three  years  ago ,  —  before  I  went  to  New 
York." 

"Mother,  too?" 

"Yes,  long  ago." 

"  Air  you  coming  back  here  to  live  ?  " 

"No  ;  I'm  coming  to  a  funeral." 

"  Whose  funeral's  that  ?  "  inquired  the  Major,  with 
a  show  of  interest. 

"Mrs.  Anthony." 

"  Oh  !  she  !  Dead,  eh  ?  Le's  see  ;  got  a  daughter, 
aint  she  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so  :  she  used  to  have  when  I  was  a 
boy." 


WARREN  BELL.  15 

"  Guess  you  were  sweet  on  her,  too,  wa'n't  you?  " 
"If  I  had  been  I    shouldn't  tell   you  about    it, 

Major." 

"Well,  I  guess  now's  the  time  to  take  her,  if 
she'll  have  you,"  the  Major  rejoined ;  "  but  if  the 
funeral's  all  you  want,  'taint  no  concern  of  mine." 
With  this  he  hobbled  away,  and  Warren  Bell,  with 
a  glance  at  his  watch  and  a  half-annoyed  smile  on 
his  lips,  stepped  off  lightly  along  the  narrow  brown 

road. 

He  was  not  above  five  feet  nine  in  height,  and 
was  compactly  but  not  heavily  made,  —  a  handsome, 
active  figure.  He  walked  easily,  with  a  long  step 
and  head  up  ;  and  he  twirled  his  cane  in  his  right 
hand,  like  one  familiar  with  quarter-staff  play.  He 
was  not  comely  of  feature,  but  his  face  had  a 
pleasant,  genuine  look,  and  withal  was  full  of  pur 
pose.  There  was  also  about  him  an  air  of  refreshing 
cleanliness.  I  do  not  mean  as  to  his  clothes,  though 
his  linen  was  white  and  fine,  and  his  garments  fitted 
him  neatly ;  nor  as  to  his  person,  though  his  skin 
was  bright  and  wholesome,  and  the  nails  of  his  hands 
carefully  groomed.  It  was  something  in  the  human 
and  mental  atmosphere  of  the  man.  It  appeared  in 
his  voice,  in  his  bearing,  in  his  smile,  in  the  manner 
of  his  speech.  There  were  no  mephitic  or  stagnant 


16  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

regions  in  his  nature.     He  had  two  physical  defects, 
both  of  which  aided  this  agreeable  impression.     He 
was  near-sighted,  in  the  first  place,  and  wore  eye 
glasses.     But  when  he  was  interested  in  talk  (as  lie 
generally  was),  the  eye-glasses  dropped  down,  and 
the  eyes  were  half  closed,  and  took  on  a  sort  of  ab 
sorbed  or  rapt  expression,  as  if  he  saw  the  thing  he 
spoke  of,  and  were  blind  to  everything  else.     Anon 
he  would  turn  them  upon  his  interlocutor,  bending 
forward  with  a  concentrated  intentness  of  gaze  that 
made  you  feel  you  had  been  looked  into.     His  other 
defect  was  a  tendency  to  stammer.     This  had  been 
very  marked  in  his  boyhood,  but  he  had  realized  its 
inconvenience,  and  had  set  himself  with  all  his  might 
to  correct  it.     He  had  so  nearly  succeeded  in  this 
effort  that  nothing  now  remained  but  an  occasional 
straining  at  the  leash,  as  it  were,  before  the  utter 
ance  of  a  word,  which  then  came  out  with  an  em 
phasis,  and  with  a  resolute  thrusting  forward  of  the 
chin,  that  were  stimulating  and  captivating.     You 
were  certain  that  he  believed  what  he  said  ;  and  this 
disposed  you  to  believe  in  it  likewise.     Wonderful 
is  the  influence  of  a  man  who  has  an  actual  belief  in 
anything,  even  if  it  be  only  in  himself!     He  mag 
netizes  and  enchants  the  negative  and  neutral-tinted 
mass  of  his  fellows. 


WARREN  BELL.  17 

The  infirmity  of  such  men  often  is  that  they  are 
as  fickle  as  they  are  earnest.  They  see  and  feel  with 
such  vividness  that  they  do  not  see  and  feel  the  same 
thing  long.  In  the  course  of  a  lifetime  they  will 
pass  through  a  complete  circle  of  opinions  and  prac 
tices,  each  one  of  which,  nevertheless,  appears  to  be 
the  direct  logical  outcome  of  the  preceding  one. 
Such  men  are  dangerous  to  conservative  institutions, 
and  subversive  of  the  calculations  of  political  econo 
mists  and  statisticians  ;  but,  if  it  were  not  for  them, 
the  world  would  soon  cease  to  revolve,  and  hang 
idly  on  its  axis.  They  are  more  at  home  in  this 
country  than  in  Europe ;  but,  for  that  very  reason, 
they  are  perhaps  more  useful  in  Europe  than  they 
are  here. 

Warren  Bell  walked  swiftly  along,  enjoying  the 
pure  air,  the  soft  tints  of  spring,  and  the  freedom 
from  noise  and  clatter  which  is  so  noticeable  to  those 
who  live  in  cities,  —  not  to  mention  a  twelve  hours' 
journey  by  rail.  Enjoyable  to  him,  too,  wrere  the 
familiar  turns  of  the  road  and  features  of  the  land 
scape,  associated  as  they  were  with  so  many  episodes 
of  unforgotten  boyish  adventure.  He  had  fished 
in  that  river,  skated  on  that  pond,  shot  a  hawk  on 
yonder  hill,  picked  cranberries  in  this  meadow,  and 
gathered  huckleberries  and  blackberries  on  the  past- 


18  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

ure  above.  Against  this  reality  of  memory  the 
more  recent  reality  of  his  city  life  seemed  fantastic 
and  unsubstantial.  The  natural  creature  in  him 
expanded  and  exulted,  and  recognized  the  restraints 
of  civilization.  He  wanted  once  more  to.  wade 
midleg  deep  in  the  black  mud  of  a  meadow 
brook,  and  catch  turtles.  He  longed  to  shin  up 
a  tall  pine-tree,  tearing  his  trousers,  scratching  his 
hands,  losing  his  hat,  and  smearing  himself  all  over 
with  black  resin.  He  would  have  liked  to  sprawl 
half  the  morning  under  an  alder-bush,  listening  to 
the  bobolinks  and  the  larks.  Manhood,  with  its 
obligations  and  ambitions,  hampered  him.  Oh,  for 
the  days  when  he  was  four  or  five  feet  high,  in  a 
jacket  and  trousers,  and  in  a  world  twenty  miles  in 
diameter  ! 

No  ;  time  is  inexorable,  for  it  is  the  shadow  of  the 
soul's  development. 

So,  in  a  grave  mood,  Warren  Bell  fell  to  thinking 
over  the  course  of  his  past  life,  —  than  which  em 
ployment  none  is  at  once  more  fascinating  and  more 
pathetic.  The  way  is  marked  with  gravestones, 
under  which  lie  buried  friends,  hopes,  illusions, 
innocence,  opportunities.  He  was  a  boy  as  afore 
said,  rejoicing  in  the  exhilaration  of  healthy  life, 
loving  his  father  and  mother,  forming  imperishable 


WARREN  BELL.  19 

friendships  with  other  boys,  whose  names  he  had 
now  forgotten,  hating  school,  rejoicing  in  the  free 
dom  of  Saturdays,  chafing  under  the  restraint  of 
Sundays,  running  and  shouting  himself  into  glorious 
exhaustion  at  hockey,  football  and  baseball ;  secretly 
thinking  that  there  was  something  divinely  lovely 
about  little  Nell  Anthony,  and,  for  that  reason, 
avoiding  her  as  sedulously  as  if  she  were  a  pesti 
lence  ;  stuffing  himself  with  strawberries  in  June, 
with  watermelons  in  August,  and  with  apples  in 
autumn ;  intending  to  be  a  mighty  hunter  when  he 
grew  up,  and  kill  grizzly  bears  in  California,  jaguars 
in  Brazil,  tigers  in  India,  and  lions  in  Africa,  and, 
meanwhile,  actually  shooting  chipmunks  on  his  native 
rail-fences,  —  in  short,  being  such  a  boy  as  only  an 
impetuous  and  imaginative  boy  in  the  country  can  be. 
Next  he  saw  himself  a  youth  in  college,  measuring 
himself  against  other  youths,  and  agreeably  dis 
appointed  to  find  himself  less  inferior  than  he  had 
expected ;  planning  gigantic  feats  of  scholarship, 
and  partaking  of  stentorian  "debates  and  bewildering 
punches  in  the  Greek-letter  secret  fraternity ;  sus 
pended  for  a  year  by  a  tyrannous  and  unprogressive 
faculty  for  neglect  of  college  duties  and  riotous  be 
havior  in  the  town  streets,  studying  prodigiously 
during  his  exile,  and  coming  back  to  pass  a  trium- 


20  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

pliant  examination,  graduating  tenth  in  the  list  of 
scholars    and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  classmates ; 
and  corresponding  with  tolerably  regularity  and  pro 
found  secrecy  with  the  princess  of  his  heart,  who  was 
Nell  Anthony  still.     Then  a  year  at  an  engineering 
academy,  immured  in  descriptive  geometry,  integral 
calculus,  isometrical  and  perspective  drawing,  plot 
ting  and  surveying,  and  dreams  of  becoming  a  second 
Watt  or  Winans.      After    that,  two   years'  rough 
practical  work  in  the  field,  building  railroads,  dig 
ging  canals,  designing  bridges ;  finally  interrupted 
by  the  death  of  his   father    (his  mother  had   died 
during  his  college  career)  and  a  return  home  to  set 
tle  up  his  affairs  there,  and  to  wonder  what  should 
happen  next.     What   did  happen  was,  by  the  in 
strumentality  of  a  powerful   friend  in  New   York, 
his  summons  to  that  city  to  act  as  assistant  engineer 
in  the  Hydrographic  Department,  in  which  position 
he  had  prospered  greatly,  and   had  learned   some 
thing  of  the  world,  and  had  had  glimpses  of  avenues 
to    higher  things,    not    essentially   connected    with 
engineering,  such  as  had  stirred  in  him  springs  of 
ambition  that  had  till  now  been  latent.     It  was  then 
that  Warren  Bell  discovered,  for  the  first  time,  how 
ambitious  a  man  he  was. 

But  what  had  become  of  sweet  Nell  Anthony  all 


WARREN  BELL.  21 

this  while  ?  Was  she  forgotten  ?  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  a  man  grows  more  in  the  five  or  six  years 
after  he  leaves  college  than  in  all  the  time  before, 
assuming,  of  course,  that  he  has  brains  and  ambition, 
and  that  he  gets  out  into  the  world.  And  to  grow, 
in  this  sense,  means  to  discover  the  disproportion 
between  the  known  and  the  possible.  Later,  per 
haps,  there  may  come  a  wisdom  which  finds  all  the 
possible  in  the  known.  That  wisdom  was  not  War 
ren  Bell's  as  yet.  Be  that  as  it  may,  however,  he 
had  travelled  from  New  York  to  Hickory  not  only 
to  attend  the  funeral  of  Nell's  mother,  but,  also,  to 
satisfy  his  conscience  by  asking  Nell  herself  to  be 
his  wife. 


22  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  II. 

NELL,    ANTHONY. 

COULD  that  dreary  slavery  called  women's  rights 
ever  be  put  into  practical  operation  the  world  would 
soon  become  too  business-like  to  think  of  love  and 
marriage.  Woman  is  the  conservative  of  the  human 
race  ;  she  is  the  centripetal,  as  man  is  the  centrifugal, 
force.  If  she  did  not  stay  at  home  and  mind  her 
own  affairs  home  would  cease  to  exist.  Man,  in 
that  case,  would  do  well  to  exterminate  the  female 
half  of  creation  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  merely  a 
feebler  and  frailer  imitation  of  himself,  and  then  die 
with  the  consoling  consciousness  of  having  done  one 
good  deed. 

Nothing  is  more  certain,  however,  than  that  women 
are  not  and  never  will  be  such  fools  as  some  few  of 
themselves,  and  quite  as  many  forlorn  nondescripts 
of  our  own  sex,  would  like  to  persuade  them  that 
they  are.  It  is  the  dictum  of  a  very  modern  school 
of  thinkers  that  everything  is  relative.  This  means, 
if  it  means  anything,  that  the  scale  of  progression  is 
infinite.  But,  this  being  admitted,  of  what  use  is  it 


NELL  ANTHONY.  23 

to  go  to  London  or  to  the  North  Pole,  or,  for  that 
matter,  to  Jupiter  and  the  Pleiades,  in  search  of  in 
formation  and  culture?  Everything  is  still  relative, 
and  you  know  no  more,  measured  by  the  infinite 
standard,  than  does  the  countrified  provincial  who 
has  stayed  at  home.  What  is  more  important  is 
that  you  have  put  yourself  out  of  the  way  of  knowing 
several  valuable  things  which  only  staying  at  home 
could  have  taught  you,  —  or  into  which,  at  all 
events,  all  your  foreign  education  (when  the  chaff  is 
shaken  out  of  it)  must  resolve  itself.  The  world 
can  teach  a  man  a  great  many  facts  about  himself 
and  others  ;  but  of  wisdom  it  can  never  teach  him 
so  much  as  the  alphabet ;  that  belongs  to  an  alto 
gether  different  plane  of  experience. 

Nell  Anthony  had  never  been  twenty  miles  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  her  native  village.  Why  should 
she?  She  lived  in  a  comfortable  old  house,  built  in 
the  massive  and  generous  style  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago,  with  a  great  fragrant  barn  close  by, 
on  the  other  side  of  an  ample  and  populous  farm 
yard.  The  country  side  had  a  quiet  but  unfailing 
picturesqueness  ;  it  was  not  so  striking  as  to  become 
wearisome,  nor  so  featureless  as  to  be  tame.  A 
range  of  mountainous  hills  in  the  western  back 
ground  sent  down  long  spurs  and  green  ridges  into 


24  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  village  ;  ai\d  eastwards, 
a  dozen  miles  away,  might  be  seen  on  clear  days  the 
blue  levels  of  the  ocean.  The  vale  in  which  the  vil 
lage  stood  was  fair  and  fertile ;  a  stream,  which  in 
England  might  have  been  called  a  river,  wandered 
through  it,  full  of  perch,  bream,  and  pickerel  in 
summer,  and  in  winter  overflowing  and  freezing  for 
the  benefit  of  skaters.  The  broad  village  street, 
half-a-mile  in  length,  with  shops  at  one  end  and 
private  houses  at  the  other,  was  lined  with  remarka 
bly  tall  and  handsome  trees,  the  preponderance 
among  which  of  hickories  had  perhaps  given  the 
villao-e  its  name.  The  inhabitants  of  this  somewhat 

o 

remote  settlement  had  not  run  to  seed  quite  so  much 
as  is  apt  to  be  the  case  in  little-known  and  antique 
New  England  towns.  They  were  mostly  farmers, 
who  sent  the  surplus  of  their  produce  to  the  cities, 
thereby  paying  their  expenses  and  a  little  more,  and 
lived  upon  the  remainder.  There  were  a  few  old 
mariners,  or  their  descendants,  who  had  made  some 
money  in  foreign  trade  ;  but  these  also  owned  land, 
and  kept  cattle  and  poultry.  Many  of  the  middle- 
aged  or  older  men  had  been  to  the  war,  though, 
except  for  the  military  handles  still  applied  to  their 
names,  you  might  not  have  suspected  it.  There  were 
two  or  three  families  to  whom  was  tacitly  accorded 


NELL  ANTHONY.  25 

the  title  of  the  aristocrats  of  the  community,  —  not  on 
account  of  their  wealth,  which  was  not  much  above 
the  village  average,  nor  because  they  put  on  airs  of 
superiority,  for  they  were  conscientiously  public- 
spirited  and  democratic ;  but  from  some  vaguely 
defined,  inwardly  recognized  solidity  of  character, 
flavor  of  manners,  and  old-time  identification  with 
the  town's  history.  Of  society  in  the  conventional 
or  technical  sense  of  the  term,  a  stranger  might 
have  failed  to  discover  any  traces  ;  and  yet  all  the 
inhabitants  of  Hickory  knew  and  understood  one 
another,  and  contrived  to  profit  by  one  another's 
company  in  their  own  way  and  manner.  They  met 
at  church,  and  at  the  lyceurn,  and  on  occasions  of 
political  interest;  and  then  there  were  weddings, 
funerals,  bible-classes,  an  evening  party  or  hop  now 
and  then,  and  in  the  late  summer  and  autumn  a 
picnic  or  two  in  the  woods,  or  down  on  the  sea 
shore.  Nobody  with  any  claims  to  decency  and 
respectability  was  ostracized  from  such  gatherings ; 
the  young  man  who  cleaned  out  the  inn  stable  might 
dance  in  the  town-hall  with  the  daughter  of  the 
judge,  if  he  were  in  a  fit  moral  and  physical  condi 
tion  to  do  so ;  and  no  doubt  he  regarded  her  with 
quite  as  much  respect  and  delicacy  as  would  have 
been  manifested  towards  her  by  the  foremost  dandy 


26  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

of  the  Royal  Horse  Guards  in  Londoh.  But  the 
attitude  towards  one  another,  in  an  American 
village,  of  youth  and  maiden,  young  and  old,  gentle 
and  simple,  learned  and  illiterate,  is  quite  unintel 
ligible  if  not  inconceivable  to  those  who  have  had  no 
personal  experience  thereof;  it  exists,  but  does  not 
lend  itself  to  explanation.  Theoretically  it  is 
utterly  subversive  of  reason  and  order ;  but  practi 
cally  it  is  as  wholesome  and  prosperous  a  system  as 
human  ingenuity  has  yet  devised.  If  you  are  con 
tent  to  dispense  with  what  it  cannot  give  you,  you 
will  find  what  it  does  give  you  unexceptionable. 

Of  course  a  number  of  enterprising  or  good-for- 
nothing  young  fellows,  every  year,  made  up  their 
minds  that  Hickory  was  not  good  enough  for  them, 
and  betook  themselves  out  of  it,  Hickory,  for  its 
part,  accepting  their  departure  philosophically. 
More  rarely  a  Hickory  girl  would  marry  somebody 
who  had  not  been  a  Hickory  boy,  and  so  disappear 
beyond  the  village  horizon  ;  but  these  were  excep 
tions.  As  a  rule  Hickory  was  contented  with  and 
stuck  by  itself.  And  as  for  Nell  Anthony  she  had 
never  happened  seriously  to  contemplate  any  future 
for  herself  of  which  Hickory  did  not  form  a  part. 
She  was  not  given  to  wandering  thoughts  of  any 
kind.  She  had  been  a  happy  and  healthy  child, 


NELL  ANTHONY.  27 

pleased  with  everything,  and  never  crying  for  the 
moon.      She  had  grown  up  into  an  undemonstrative, 
straightforward,  sweet-tempered  girl,  with  a  certain 
unobtrusive  strength  and  warmth  in  her  character, 
which,  for  the  present,  emphasized  and  defined  the 
impression  she  made,  but  which,  under  due  stress  of 
circumstances,  might    have  developed    and  kindled 
into  a  quite  unsuspected  power.     Meanwhile,  Nell 
Anthony,  like  all  people  who  are  willing  to  make 
themselves    useful,    found    herself  serving    a    great 
many  uses  ;  but,  such  was  the  secret  energy  of  her 
temperament,  she  never  found  herself  overburdened. 
She    did    things    easily    because    she    attended    to 
them  in  the    doing.       When   she    made    bread  she 
thought  of  the  bread,  and  not  of  the  fashion  of  her 
next  dress,  or  of  her  partner  at  the  last  dance.      She 
lived  and  had  her  being  in  the  present,  which,  for  a 
girl    of    rather    unusual    intelligence,    as    she    was, 
evinced  a  remarkable  serenity  of  spirit.     Beasts  of 
the  field  have  this  peculiarity,  because  their  percep 
tions  are  so  limited ;  angels  of  heaven  also  have  it, 
probably,  because  their  perceptions  are  so  profound. 
Nell  Anthony  was    neither  an    angel  nor  a  beast ; 
but  she  was  a  young  woman  whose  heart  was  in  the 
right  place,  and  whose  mind  had  never  as  yet  been 
out  of  accord  with  her  emotions. 


28  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

Her  father,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Hickory, 
and  fifth  in  descent  from  the  original  settler,  had 
served  in  the  war,  and  had  received  a  wound  at 
Antietam,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  a  year 
afterwards.  Nell  was  then  a  child  of  thirteen ;  she 
had  no  brothers  or  sisters,  for  a  little  brother  had 
died  at  birth,  and  Mrs.  Anthony  had  ever  since 
been  more  or  less  of  an  invalid.  There  was  a  farm 
to  be  looked  after  and  a  household  to  be  managed, 
and,  since  Mrs.  Anthony  was  quite  broken  down  by 
her  husband's  death,  Nell  took  the  reins  in  her  small 
hands.  Always  observant  of  what  was  before  her 
she  was  already  familiar  with  the  detail  of  farm  and 
house  work,  and,  the  faculty  of  causation  being  well 
developed  in  her,  she  divined  enough  of  the  theory. 
Finally,  being  active  and  practical,  she  did  no  small 
share  of  the  work  herself.  She  milked  the  cows, 
made  the  butter,  looked  after  the  hens,  kept  an  eye 
on  the  kitchen-garden,  made  the  bread  (as  has  been 
already  intimated),  and  kept  the  house  in  order 
from  top  to  bottom.  The  things  which  she  was 
physically  incapable  of  doing  herself  were  done 
under  her  direction  ;  and  her  "  help  "  both  out  door 
and  in,  recognized  the  simple  authority  and  sagacity 
of  the  little  thing,  and  carried  out  her  commands 
willingly  and  effectively.  She  had  not  the  air  of 


NELL  ANTHONY.  29 

being  older  than  her  years,  but  she  was  equal  to  her 
emergencies.  Amidst  all  her  active  employments 
she  found  time  to  study  her  lessons  and  to  read  in 
her  father's  library.  Her  invalid  mother  never  had 
a  day's  anxiety  either  about  her  or  about  the  house 
and  farm.  So  the  child  grew  up  into  young-woman 
hood  wholesomely,  busily,  and  serenely,  and  without 
the  least  self-consciousness.  If  she  had  contem 
plated  her  own  actions  at  all,  she  would  only  have 
seen  that  they  were  the  natural  expression  of  her 
character,  —  there  was  no  sense  of  duty  in  them. 

When  she  was  eighteen,  having  learned  all  that 
the  Hickory  schools  could  teach  her,  as  well  as  a 
good  deal  more  that  is  unfortunately  not  taught  in 
schools,  she  devoted  several  hours  a  day  to  being  a 
teacher  herself.  To  be  a  country  school-marm  is 
not  captivating  to  the  imagination ;  but  as  Nell  An 
thony  did  it  for  love,  and  was  never  strenuous  about 
discipline,  she  made  no  ungainly  figure  at  it.  As 
to  discipline,  it  came  of  itself;  the  children  felt  the 
order  that  was  in  her  mind,  and,  probably  because 
they  loved  her,  endeavored  to  imitate  her  in  this  as 
in  other  things.  Besides,  she  did  not  teach  them 
arithmetic  and  spelling ;  she  let  their  poor  little 
brains  as  much  as  possible  alone,  and  applied  herself 
to  their  imagination  and  their  emotions.  She  read 


30  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

fairy-stories  and  poetry  to  them,  and  in  other  ways 
led  them  to  feel  the  difference  between  truth  and 
fact,  between  outside  and  inside,  between  the  tem 
porary  and  the  permanent.  It  was  all  Greek  to 
the  school  committee  ;  but  Nell  Anthony's  motives 
and  character  being  above  suspicion,  and  the  children 
seeming  to  get  good  rather  than  harm  from  it,  — 
and  no  expense  to  the  exchequer  being  involved,  — 
they  let  her  have  her  way.  Indeed,  everybody  let 
her  have  her  own  way,  not  because  she  insisted  upon 
having  it,  but  because  she  so  evidently  knew  what 
her  way  was.  There  is  no  power  in  the  world  so 
effective  as  personal  power,  because  only  a  stronger 
personal  power  can  resist  it. 

And  is  this  all  there  is  to  tell  about  Nell  Anthony  ? 
For  that  matter  not  much  can  be  told  about  any 
body  or  thing.  Action  is  solid,  narrative  is  linear, 
says  Carlyle ;  and  narrative's  only  chance  is  in 
stimulating  the  imaginative  sympathy  of  the  reader. 
Would  that  every  writer  had  the  skill  to  avoid  the 
explicit  and  to  cultivate  the  suggestive  !  However, 
Nell's  secret  has  already  been  partly  betrayed,  and 
nothing  can  be  gained  by  concealing  the  rest. 
Warren  Bell  had  been  her  first  playmate,  and  at  all 
times,  whenever  she  might  have  thought  of  herself, 
she  did  think  of  him.  He  had  never  told  her  that 


NELL  ANTHONY.  31 

he  loved  her,  though  he  had  often  told  himself  so  ; 
she  had  never  told  herself  that  she  loved  him,  but 
love  him  she  did.  She  was  not  in  the  habit  of 
thinking  about  her  feelings,  and  giving  them  names  ; 
when  the  feeling  came  it  justified  and  explained  itself. 
This  dialectician's  distinction  between  object  and 
subject  is  unknown  and  impossible  to  true  emotion  : 
object  and  subject  are  one  ;  so  Nell  would  not  have 
put  it  that  she  loved  Warren,  but  rather  that  her 
love  was  —  Warren.  She  disappeared  entirely  from 
her  own  sight,  and  only  he  remained,  transfigured. 

Of  course  she  had  only  arrived  at  a  certain  phase 
of  the  passion  ;  but  it  was  the  ideal  phase.  It  was 
love  before  incarnation,  with  the  heavenly  light 
and  aroma  about  it.  It  may  ultimately  reach 
a  yet  higher  stage, — just  as  a  man  who  has  lived 
and  suffered  and  overcome  attains  to  a  loftier  purity 
and  deeper  innocence  than  the  infant  can  claim ; 
but,  meanwhile,  every  step  seems  a  step  downward. 
Of  course,  too,  we  are  speaking  here  of  love,  and 
not  of  the  bookish  and  bloodless  sentiment  which 
commonly  passes  by  that  name.  So  it  was,  at  all 
events,  that  Nell  Anthony  had  never  troubled  herself 
to  speculate  as  to  whether  Warren  Bell  loved  her ; 
nor  had  she  ever  thought  of  jealousy.  Such  con 
siderations  belong  to  the  earth,  and  her  love  had 


32  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

not  yet  touched  that  level.  It  was  a  deep,  secret, 
silent  happiness  to  her,  an  inspiration  and  a  bene 
diction, —  something,  indeed,  too  sacred  for  public 
discussion.  He  had  written  her  many  letters, 
which  she  had  read  and  kept ;  but  it  was  not  what 
he  wrote  that  she  cared  for  in  them,  —  she  cared 
for  them  because  they  were  written  by  him.  She 
had  written  to  him  in  answer ;  what  she  told  him 
was  the  simplest  record  of  her  daily  life,  —  and  of 
the  outward  life,  not  the  inward ;  but  the  thought 
that  she  was  telling  it  to  him  gave  to  the  words  a 
consecration  and  a  joy  ;  and  they  came  from  as  deep 
a  place  in  her  heart  as  if  they  had  been  the  choicest 
and  most  emphatic  utterance  of  unbridled  infatua 
tion.  Such  was  the  sum  of  her  love-history  so  far ; 
and  she  had  never  dreamed  of  its  going  any  farther. 
Of  late  Warren  had  been  receding  farther  and 
farther  into  a  world  of  which  she  knew  nothing  ;  but 
he  was  no  farther  from  her  heart  than  ever.  She  did 
not  need  to  look  for  him  ;  she  felt  him  there.  The 
sudden  sinking  of  her  mother,  like  a  figure  of  snow 
melting  all  at  once  in  the  spring  rain  and  sunshine, 
brought  a  sense  of  profound  solemnity,  which  made 
that  other  figure  seem  clearer  and  nearer,  instead  of 
dimming  it ;  for,  even  then,  she  could  not  think  of 
herself  at  all. 


THEY  MEET.  33 


CHAPTER  III. 

THEY   MEET. 

A  BELT  of  woodland  lay  to  the  south  of  Hickory, 
and  approached  within  a  mile  or  two  of  the  outskirts 
of  the  village.  It  covered  one  of  the  last  low  spurs 
of  the  western  hills,  subsiding  towards  the  ocean. 
Eidges  of  granite  peeped  here  and  there  through 
the  soil,  in  the  crevices  of  which  innumerable  colum 
bines  grew  and  nodded  their  flushed  heads ;  and 
may-flowers,  anemone,  lady's  slipper,  and  rhodora, 
each  in  their  season,  made  the  place  beautiful. 
Here,  too,  were  the  best  huckleberries  and  blue 
berries  ;  and  in  autumn,  ripe  nuts  came  rattling 
down  from  the  trees.  It  had  been  a  favorite  spot 
with  Warren  in  his  boyhood;  and,  either  by  chance, 
or  from  some  obscure  appreciation  of  its  sylvan 
charm,  the  Hickory  farmers  had  spared  its  trees  and 
flowers,  and  it  remained  inviolate  and  just  as  he 
remembered  it.  The  road  passed  through  the  midst 
of  it,  the  trees  flung  their  boughs  across  the  way, 
and  the  soft  sunshine  struggled  down  between  the 
new  green  foliage.  The  birds  were  singing  as  if 


34  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

each  one  of  them  had  to  express  the  whole  of  nature 
in  music.  And,  midway  in  a  sunny  and  shadowy 
glade,  Warren  saw  a  woman,  walking  slowly  before 
him  with  flowers  in  her  hand. 

He  did  not  need  a  second  glance  to  recognize  that 
figure,  —  not  too  tall,  not  too  slender,  with  head 
serenely  poised,  and  firm,  rhythmical  step.  He 
quickened  his  pace.  His  foot  made  no  sound  on 
the  softened  surface  of  the  road  ;  but,  before  he  was 
within  fifty  yards  of  her,  she  turned  slowly,  saw  him 
coming,  and  stood  still. 

He  came  up  rapidly,  took  her  hand,  and  looked 
at  her  intently,  before  either  of  them  spoke.  She 
was  pale,  and  her  eyes  seemed  larger  than  usual 
under  her  dark,  straight  brows  ;  but  her  red  lips 
met  each  other  with  the  same  quiet  composure  as 
ever,  neither  smiling  nor  drooping. 

w  So  you  are  here,"  she  said  after  a  moment. 

"  Not  too  late,  I  hope,"  answered  he. 

"It  is  this  afternoon." 

"I  am  glad  we  met  here." 

"  I  came  out  for  some  flowers  ;  she  liked  these 
spring  flowers.  How  lovely  the  day  is  !  The  earth 
seems  all  tender.  And  you  have  left  all  your  busi 
ness,  Warren?  " 

"  My  business  ?     This  is  it ;  you  are  alone  now, 


THEY  MEET.  35 

Nell ;  who  should  be  with  you  if  I  am  not  ?  I  could 
do  nothing  else  but  come." 

She  paused  a  little,  and  then  said,  "  I  have  not 
felt  alone  ;  but  I  suppose  I  am." 

They  began  to  walk  onward  together.  Warren 
had  something  to  say  —  something  that  he  had  come 
to  say  ;  but  it  seemed  better  to  postpone  it  for  the 
present.  The  girl  was  evidently  preoccupied  with  the 
scenes  and  thoughts  of  the  last  few  days,  and  would 
scarcely  be  ready  yet  to  hear  him.  Moreover,  now 
that  he  was  by  her  side,  he  felt  that  he  must  find 
other  words,  and  in  another  manner,  than  he  had 
anticipated.  He  had  forgotten  how  reserved  and  un 
demonstrative  she  was.  If  he  wished  to  succeed  he 
must  shape  his  request  needfully.  He  did  wish  to 
succeed  ;  but  for  her  sake  rather  than  his  own.  He 
fully  believed  that  she  cared  for  him,  and  he  knew 
there  had  been  a  time  when  she  was  to  him  the  most 
desirable  object  in  the  world.  That  time  had  now 
passed,  though  he  had  never  told  her  so,  nor  meant 
that  she  should  ever  know  it.  Indeed,  he  did  not 
(he  thought)  love  her  less  ;  but  other  things  had 
become  more  absorbing  to  him.  What  had  seemed 
to  be  love  three  years  ago,  now,  in  the  opening  out 
of  a  wider  life  and  a  higher  ambition,  was  seen 
to  be  friendly  affection  merely.  Nell  Anthony 


36  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

would  still  have  remained  the  sole  goddess  of  his 
worship  had  he  remained  in  Hickory,  and  never 
developed  the  qualities  and  capacities,  and  acquired 
the  knowledge  which  made  him  what  he  now  was. 
This  simple  country  life,  with  its  peace,  its  monotony, 
its  tameness,  its  limitations,  was  the  life  for  which  a 
country  girl  like  her  was  naturally  fitted ;  but,  as 
his  partner  in  the  career  which  he  saw  opening  before 
him,  she  could  scarcely  fail  to  be  somewhat  out  of 
place.  Nevertheless,  his  conscience  would  not  per 
mit  him  to  put  her  aside  on  that  account.  Though 
he  had  never  asked  her  in  set  terms  to  be  his  wife, 
he  knew  that  he  had  at  one  time  hoped  to  make  her 
so  ;  he  believed  that  she  had  understood  and  returned 
his  love ;  that  for  his  sake  she  had  forborne  to  admit 
any  other  man  to  her  regard,  and  that,  in  her  quiet 
constancy,  she  would  never  dream  that  he  could 
change.  At  this  time,  too,  when  she  stood  solitary 
in  the  world,  it  would  be  even  dastardly  to  desert  her. 
To  a  man  like  Warren  Bell,  his  word  was  as  good 
as  his  bond,  and  an  understanding  as  good  as  his 
word. 

There  was  no  other  woman  in  the  case.  Nell 
Anthony  had  no  human  rival,  —  unless  it  were  that 
figure  of  Warren  Bell  himself,  rich,  honored,  power 
ful,  distinguished,  which  he  saw  before  him  in  the 


THEY  MEET.  37 

future.  He  believed  that  he  had  work  to  do  in  the 
world,  that  his  country  would  know  him  and  re 
member  him,  that  he  would  leave  his  country's 
affairs  in  a  condition  more  prosperous  than  he  found 
them.  But  the  achievement  of  this  object  would 
require  all  his  energies ;  and  to  give  hostages  to 
fortune  at  the  outset  was  poor  policy.  He  must 
neglect  either  his  wife  or  his  ambition,  unless  he 
could  find  a  wife  who  would  promote  his  ambition, 
and  that,  he  felt  sure,  was  not  to  be  expected  of 
Nell.  Her  idea  of  ambition  would  be  to  nurse  and 
rear  her  children,  to  keep  her  house  neat,  and  to  fill 
her  husband's  heart.  It  was  a  woman's  ambition, 
and  there  was  none  purer  or  better ;  but  Warren 
feared  that  he  could  not  help  her  to  realize  it,  any 
more  than  she  could  stimulate  him.  Yet  duty 
enjoined  that  he  should  try. 

For  the  moment,  however,  he  put  the  subject 
aside,  and  talked  with  her  about  her  mother,  and 
about  the  general  state  of  affairs  in  Hickory.  But 
as  her  ears  seemed  to  be  more  awake  than  her 
tongue,  it  happened  that  most  of  the  talking  was 
done  by  him  ;  and  so  it  was  also  natural  that,  after 
a  while,  he  should  come  to  speak  more  of  his  own 
affairs  than  of  hers. 

"When  I  first  went  to  New  York,"  he  said,  "I 


38  LOVE  —  OR  A  NAME. 

had  no  notion  what  would  come  of  it.  I  understood 
the  work,  of  course,  and  I  found  no  difficulty  in 
managing  the  men.  That's  unlike  the  other  part 
of  the  business,  — it  comes  by  nature,  or  not  at  all. 
But  for  g-getting  on,  it's  worth  the  other  ten  times 
over." 

"  What  sort  of  men?  "  inquired  Nell. 

"Irishmen,  to  begin  with.  But  when  the  people 
in  authority  see  what  you  can  do  they  increase  your 
responsibilities.  I  began  with  four  Paddies,  and 
now  I'm  third  in  command  under  the  chief,  and  have 
control  of  the  whole  hydrographic  survey.  I  sit  in 
my  office,  and  issue  orders.  And  I've  got  an  insight 
into  how  things  are  worked." 

"  Are  they  not  worked  right  ?  " 

"  N-not  to  my  thinking.  But  you  wouldn't  un 
derstand  ;  New  York  is  not  like  Hickory." 

"But  isn't  there  more  good  there,  as  well  as  more 
bad?" 

:c  You  have  to  hunt  for  the  good  ;  but  the  bad 
h-hunts  you.  Nothing  moves  without  politics,  and 
politics  means  getting  money  without  working  for 
it,  —  or  at  any  rate,  without  producing  anything  of 
public  use.  This  is  the  way  of  it :  the  public  pays 
money  to  have  things  done,  and  the  politicians  take 
the  money,  and  d-dont  do  the  things." 


THEY  MEET.  39 

"  Why  does  the  public  let  the  politicians  be  where 
the  money  is  ?  " 

"  That's  just  the  point,  Nell.  Unless  you're  a 
scamp,  and  get  rich  by  politics,  politics  will  make 
you  poor.  Now,  you  see,  honest  men  with  families 
to  support  must  follow  an  honest  business  that  pays 
them  ;  they  can't  afford  to  be  politicians :  it  would 
cost  them  either  their  money  or  their  reputation. 
The  consequence  is,  of  course,  that  politics  are 
managed  by  dishonest  men.  And  that  isn't  the 
worst  of  it." 

"It  must  stifle  you,"  said  she,  drawing  a  long 
breath. 

"  It  would  stifle  you ;  but  I  mean  to  s-stifle  it. 
The  worst  of  it  is,  that  all  public  concerns,  and  a 
great  many  private  ones,  are  run  by  political  cliques. 
That  means  that  the  men  chosen  to  do  a  piece  of 
work  are  appointed  and  paid  by  politicians  ;  and,  in 
order  to  keep  their  places,  they  must  vote  for  the 
reelection  of  their  masters.  A  man  who  connives  at 
swindlers  soon  becomes  a  swindler  himself.  They 
call  it  standing  by  one  another,  and  make  it  out  a 
code  of  honor.  So  the  whole  thing  is  rotten 
through  and  through." 

"Can  you  make  it  pure  again,  Warren?" 

"  I  believe  I  can ;  I'm  going  to  give  all  that's  in 


40  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

me  to  trying.  I've  got  the  honesty  and  I've  got 
the  brains ;  and  I  need  only  one  thing,  —  that's 
money." 

"  That  is  a  pity." 

"Hard  work  in  my  profession  will  give  me  money, 
in  time.  And  when  I  have  the  sinews  of  war,  my 
own  sinews  will  do  the  rest.  But  I  must  be  inde 
pendent,  above  all  things,  or  it's  no  use." 

"  Certainly,  New  York  is  not  like  Hickory," 
said  Nell,  musingly. 

"  I  long  to  be  at  them  !  "  exclaimed  Warren  Bell, 
grasping  his  stick  and  shaking  it.  "I  wish  I  were 
free  —  with  a  million  of  my  own.  I  hate  every 
year's  delay  —  and  every  d-day !  Twenty-six  is 
none  too  young  to  begin  such  a  work  as  that." 

Nell  Anthony  looked  at  him  and  wished  that  she 
could  help  him.  That  was  all  she  wished  ;  and  she 
said  nothing. 

By  this  time  they  had  emerged  from  the  wood, 
and  were  passing  down  the  low  uplands  towards  the 
village.  When  Warren  saw  the  familiar  houses, 
white  and  gray,  with  the  trees  rising  above  them, 
and  the  little  river  winding  through,  he  wondered 
for  a  moment  whether  he  were  not  a  fool.  Was 
this  the  first  age  that  evil  had  been  known  in  the 
world?  Was  he  the  first  reformer  who  had  sworn 


THEY  MEET.  41 

to  set  it  right?  Was  there  any  greater  happiness 
than  to  enjoy  a  quiet  home,  lovely  children,  a  loving 
wife  ?  Why  should  he  ever  return  to  New  York  ? 
Why  should  he  not  remain  forever  here  ? 

"Nell,"  he  said,  taking  her  hand,  and  bringing 
her  face  to  face  with  him,  "before  we  go  farther,  I 
want  to  ask  you  a  question." 

She  looked  up  at  him,  still  with  one  hand  in  his, 
and  holding  her  flowers  in  the  other. 

"I  have  been  thinking  of  it  for  a  long  time,"  he 
went  on.  "  It  was  one  reason  of  my  coming  here. 
We  have  known  each  other  all  our  lives.  I  have 
known  no  woman  so  well  as  I've  known  you,  —  I've 
never  wished  to.  My  life,  since  I  became  a  man, 
has  not  left  me  much  chance  for  society,  —  it  has 
been  hard  work  among  men.  But  when  I  was  a 
boy  at  college,  I  used  to  think  that  you  must  be  my 
wife.  And  now  —  if  you  care  for  me  enough  — 
the  time  has  come.  You  are  alone  in  the  world, 
and  so  am  I.  Let  us  live  together  from  this  time 
forth.  Every  day,  when  my  work  is  over,  I  will 
come  home  to  you,  and"  — 

Nell  Anthony  withdrew  her  hand. 

"You  should  not  have  spoken  of  this,"  said  she, 
meeting  his  eyes  gravely.  "  You  don't  need  me, 
Warren;  and  I  don't" — she  paused — "need  you, 


42  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

any  more  than  I  have  you  already.  I  am  not  alone  ; 
I  am  content.  And  how  can  you  feel  alone,  with 
your  work  and  your  hopes  ?  I've  never  thought  of 
marriage,  and  I  don't  want  to  think  of  it.  That  is 
not  what  I  was  meant  for ;  and  I  —  we  should  not 
help  each  other  so." 

"  I  have  spoken  at  the  wrong  time,"  replied  he  ; 
"  but  don't  say  that  I've  spoken  wrongly.  It's  no 
time  to  ask  you  over  your  dear  m-mother's  grave, 
but"  — 

"Yes  ;  that  was  the  time  to  ask  me,  if  you  must 
ask  at  all,"  she  interrupted.  "  Since  she  died,  my 
mind  has  been  clear,  and  I  see  —  I  know.  I  can 
make  no  mistake  now." 

"I  thought  you  1-loved  me,"  said  he. 

"So  I  do,  Warren,"  she  answered,  in  a  fainter 
voice  ;  "  but  not  in  that  way." 

There  was  a  pause. 

"Nell,"  he  exclaimed,  suddenly,  "if  you  say  so, 
I'll  give  up  New  York  and  come  and  live  with  you 
here  I  " 

Her  cheeks  flushed  slowly.  "I  do  not  love  you 
in  that  way,"  she  repeated. 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said.  Pie  had 
satisfied  his  conscience.  But  though  his  conscience 
was  satisfied,  another  voice  began  to  murmur  doubt- 


THEY  MEET.  43 

fully  in  Warren  Bell's  heart.  It  was  too  late,  how 
ever  ;  he  saw  his  life  before  him,  and  she  was  not 
to  be  there.  They  walked  onwards  towards  the 
village  in  silence. 


44  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THEY    PART. 

THE  funeral  procession  moved  to  the  burial- 
ground,  beneath  the  pines,  —  a  link  in  that  proces 
sion  that  will  never  end  while  the  world  lasts.  The 
village  folk  followed,  as  a  matter  of  course  and  of 
courtesy,  and  also  of  curiosity,  —  for  death  has  re 
mained  a  riddle  all  these  years,  and  we  are  never 
tired  of  looking  for  some  chance  glimpse  of  the 
answer.  The  crowd  gathered  about  the  grave, 
some  with  their  hats  off,  others,  farther  away,  chat 
ting  with  one  another,  with  here  and  there  a  laugh 
partly  suppressed.  The  women  pressed  the  closest 
to  the  centre  of  interest,  and  seemed  the  most  af 
fected  ;  and  all  their  eyes  were  bent  on  Nell  An 
thony.  She  stood  close  beside  the  oblong  hole  in 
the  earth,  looking  downwards  meditatively,  as  her 
habit  was,  but  without  apparently  perceiving  what 
was  actually  before  her.  Her  faculty  of  living  in  the 
present  had  come  to  an  end.  Now,  like  the  rest  of 
the  world,  she  must  find  her  being  in  the  past  anil 
the  future,  — less  in  the  future  than  in  the  past. 


TIIEY  PART.  45 

Death  is  often  the  beginning  of  a  new  life  for  those 
who  are  left,  as  well  as  for  those  who  go.  Her 
mother's  death  left  Nell  Anthony  outwardly  serene, 
because  the  springs  of  emotion  it  moved  were  so 
profound  and  so  unselfish.  Something  else  had  also 
died  to  her,  and  was  being  buried,  — not  with  her 
mother's  body,  but  in  a  deeper  grave.  And  it  was 
the  loss  of  this  thing  that  had  given  her  the  first 
consciousness  of  its  existence. 

Warren  Bell  stood  on  the  other  side  of  the  grave, 
and  looked  across  at  the  quiet,  young  figure  with 
the  dark  dress  and  veil.  The  grave  was  between 
them ;  but  it  was  not  the  grave  that  had  parted 
them.  Her  answer  to  his  question  had  taken  him 
by  surprise ;  and  this  fact  might  itself  have  sug 
gested  to  him  why  the  answer  had  been  what  it  was. 
But  he  had  not  the  tact  to  perceive  his  blunder,  if 
he  had  made  one,  and,  what  is  more  to  the  point, 
the  result,  though  surprising,  was  not  unwelcome. 

At  least,  he  had  been  telling  himself  for  the  last 
few  days  that,  if  he  made  Nell  his  wife,  it  would  be 
more  for  her  sake  than  for  his  own  ;  and  for  her  to 
decline  his  proposals  was,  therefore,  a  gain  and  not 
a  loss  to  him.  And  yet,  such  is  the  perversity  of 
human  nature,  he  could  have  found  more  arguments 
in  favor  of  the  marriage  now  than  ever  before.  But 


46  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

that  matter  was  settled,  and  could  not  be  again  dis 
cussed.  Nell's  refusal  had  been  firm  and  distinct ; 
and  there  was  no  reason,  that  he  could  imagine, 
why  she  should  have  said  one  thing  and  desired  an 
other. 

When  the  two  Irishmen  in  attendance,  with  their 
brown  arms  bared  to  the  elbow,  began  to  fill  up  the 
grave,  the  crowd  moved  away  and  dispersed  village- 
wards,  but  Nell  and  Warren  remained  behind  a 
while  and  then  set  out  together.  The  sun  was 
within  an  hour  of  setting ;  it  had  been  a  perfect 
day. 

"It's  sad  to  think  of  you  living  on  here,  with  no 
one  who  belongs  to  you,"  said  he. 

"I  have  my  school,"  she  answered.  "  I  have  my 
mother,  too,  though  I  can't  do  anything  for  her  any 
longer.  And  I  shall  like  to  think  of  you  succeed 
ing  in  New  York." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  stay  here  always  ?  " 

"  It  makes  no  difference  to  me  where  I  go,  if  I 
don't  go  where  I  am  not  wanted.  I  have  made  no 
plans.  If  I  find  nothing  more  to  do  here,  or  if  I 
find  something  better  to  do  somewhere  else,  I  shall 


go." 


"  Look  here,  Nell ;  y-you've  got  enough  to  live 
on,  haven't  you  ?  —  because  "  — 


THEY  PART.  47 

"  Oh,  yes  !  much  more  than  I  need.  I  think  I 
must  be  rich." 

"  Then  I  can  do  nothing  for  you,"  said  Warren,  a 
little  dejectedly. 

She  stopped  in  her  walk,  and  gave  him  a  long 
look. 

"Don't  think  I  didn't  understand,"  she  said. 
"  You  have  done  more  for  me  than  I  ever  expected 
you  to  do ;  and  more  than  any  one  will  ever  do 


Warren  Bell  left  for  New  York  that  night,  and 
was  at  his  office  the  next  afternoon.  After  looking 
over  his  reports  and  arranging  the  work  for  the  next 
day,  he  shut  up  his  desk  and  went  out.  He  was 
out  of  spirits  and  not  in  a  good  humor. 

As  he  walked  up  Broadway,  with  his  head  bent, 
and  swinging  his  cane  moodily,  some  one  came  up 
behind  him  and  tapped  him  on  the  right  shoulder. 
He  turned  his  head,  but  saw  no  one  ;  and  at  the 
same  moment  a  hand  was  slipped  under  his  left  arm, 
and  the  new-comer  laughed  in  his  car. 

"  Oh,  it's  you,  is  it?"  he  said,  brusquely.  "  What 
the  d-devil  do  you  want  ?  " 

"I  want  to  give  you  the  straight  tip,  old  man; 
and  I  guess  a  straight  nip  wouldn't  do  you  any 


48  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

harm,  into  the  bargain.  Been  investing  in  Erie? 
Stop  in  here,  and  I'll  set  'em  up.  Come  —  no 
nonsense  !  I've  got  news  for  you." 

They  entered  the  lobby  of  the  Metropolitan,  and 
passed  through  to  the  bar. 

The  young  gentleman  who  stood  treat  was  a  very 
dapper  and  prosperous-looking  figure.  He  was 
barely  of  the  middle  height,  and  must  have  been 
considerably  under  thirty  years  of  age.  His  clothes 
were  new,  and  of  expensive  materials,  and  fitted 
him  to  a  nicety ;  and  there  was  a  tendency  to  ven- 
turesomeness  in  the  pattern  of  his  trousers  and  the 
immaculateness  of  his  neck-scarf.  His  face,  of  a 
narrow  oval,  was  lighted  by  a  pair  of  quick  and 
rather  small  eyes,  and  emphasized  by  a  rather  large 
nose.  His  expression  was  knowing,  self-confident, 
and  jaunty ;  a  trifle  more  of  the  latter  element 
would  have  made  him  look  like  a  rowdy.  His  silk 
beaver  was  polished  to  perfection,  a  gold  seal  ring 
adorned  the  little  finger  of  his  left  hand,  and  below 
his  three-button  coat  there  was  a  glimpse  of  a  thick 
gold  watch-chain.  As  he  stood,  with  his  feet  apart, 
and  his  hands  behind  him  holding  a  slender  bamboo 
cane,  it  was  noticeable  that  the  calves  of  his  well- 
rounded  legs  had  a  salient  curve,  as  if  he  were 
double-jointed  at  the  knees.  His  lips  were  inclined 


THEY  PART.  49 

to  thickness,  but  his  mouth  was  small ;  and  at  this 
moment  there  was  a  chew  of  tobacco  inside  of  it. 
lie  was  a  man  whose  livelihood  depended  upon 
three  things  :  native  sagacity,  other  people's  igno 
rance  of  the  money-market,  and  luck.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange,  and  his 
name  was  Tom  Peekskill. 

«  What'll  it  be?"  said  Mr.  Peekskill. 

"  Vermouth  for  me,"  replied  Warren  Bell. 

"I  should  think  so,  by  the  looks  of  you,  —  worm 
wood,  with  a  dash  of  gall  in  it.  Say,  old  man, 
what  ails  you?  Has  your  gal  gone  back  on 
you?" 

"  Let's  have  our  drinks,  and  b-be  off,"  exclaimed 
the  other.  w  I'm  busy.  You  should  have  picked  up 
somebody  who  was  more  in  your  line." 

"Jim,"  said  Mr.  Peekskill,  with  a  nod  of  recogni 
tion  to  the  self-possessed  young  gentleman  with 
smooth  blonde  hair  and  a  white  jacket,  who  ap 
proached,  sliding  a  napkin  along  the  bar,  "  a  ver 
mouth  and  a  sour,  please ;  and  shake  her  up,  there's 
a  good  boy.  Say,  old  man,"  he  continued,  turning 
to  his  companion,  "  where've  you  been,  anyhow? 
Say,  old  Drayton's  been  asking  after  you,  and  he 
gave  me  a  message,  if  I  should  see  you." 

"What  is  it?" 


50  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"  Wants  you  round  to  feed  with  him  to-night. 
I'm  on  to  it,  too.  We'll  go  together." 

"  No  we  w-won't.     I  can't  go  ;  I'm  busy." 

"Busy?  What's  bueiness?  If  old  Drayton  aint 
business,  I  don't  know  what  is.  And  he  means  it, 
too.  Say,  brace  up  !  " 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  it?" 

"Well,  I  can  guess  what  o'clock  it  is.  Drayton, 
you  know  —  ah  !  all  right,  Jim.  Here's  success  to 
crime  I  " 

He  swallowed  the  contents  of  his  glass,  and  re 
placed  it  on  the  counter. 

"Have  another?" 

"  No." 

"Cigar?" 

"  I've  got  'em,"  said  Warren,  taking  a  couple  from 
his  waistcoat  pocket.  They  walked  to  the  cigar-stand 
and  lighted  up.  "  Well,  I'm  off,"  Warren  added. 

"  Hold  on  !  What  ails  you  ?  It  aint  five  o'clock 
yet,  and  we  dine  at  6.30.  Come  and  sit  down 
while  I  tell  you  "  — 

"Talk  as  we  go  along,  then.  I  tell  you,  dinners 
are  not  in  my  line.  I  have  something  to  do  to 
night,  and  I  want  to  be  home  early." 

Seeing  that  he  could  not  prevail  upon  his  friend 
to  be  reasonable,  Tom  Peekskill  followed  him  to 


THEY  PART.  51 

the  street,  and  resumed  the  conversation  as  they 
walked  northwards. 

"  The  thing  is  this  way,  as  I  figure  it  out,"  said 
he.  "  Old  Dray  ton  is  in  on  the  new  water- works 
scheme,  but  of  course  he  can't  show,  because  he's 
chairman  of  the  Compensation  Fund,  and  there'd 
be  a  row.  But  it's  being  chairman,  you  see,  that 
gives  him  the  pull.  That  pack  of  thieves  on  the 
other  side  think  he's  solid  with  them,  and  they  spread 
their  cards  right  out  in  front  of  him.  It's  head  he 
wins,  tails  they  lose." 

"  He  might  be  in  a  better  business,"  said  Warren. 
"Why  don't  he  tell  'em  how  he  stands,  and  clear 
out?  Fight  'em  with  c-clean  weapons,  I  say  !  " 

"  Say,  old  man,  that's  all  right,"  returned  Tom 
Peekskill,  smiling  good-lmmoredly,  "  and  I  respect 
you  for  it.  But  just  take  a  case  and  see  how  it 
looks.  Suppose  you  were  cashier  of  a  bank,  and 
one  evening  you  were  going  round  with  a  gang  of 
fellows,  and  they  were  to  propose  to  rob  that  bunk, 
—  not  knowing  you  were  connected  with  it,  you 
see,  — would  you  stop  and  listen  to  their  plan,  and 
so  be  ready  to  tackle  them  when  they  came ;  or 
would  you  turn  round  and  say,  Tin  in  charge  of 
that  safe,  gentlemen,  and  the  less  you  talk  before 
me,  the  better  it'll  be  for  you?'  Well,  that's  just 


52  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

about  the  way  it  is  with  Old  Dray  ton.  He  thinks 
that  the  best  way  to  keep  scamps  in  order  is  to 
preside  at  their  deliberations,  and,  when  the  time 
comes,  pull  the  drop  and  let  'em  through;  and  it's 
my  opinion  that  his  head's  level." 

"  That's  not  the  whole  story.  He's  after  money 
just  as  much  as  they  are  ;  and  it's  because  he  expects 
to  make  more  by  retaining  the  chairmanship  than  by 
resigning  it  that  he  stays." 

"Well,  now,  I  guess  you're  beyond  me.  I  know 
what  Dray  ton  says,  and  what  he  does;  but  I  will 
admit  that  I  never  looked  inside  him  and  saw  the 
wheels  going  round  in  his  soul.  Say,  old  man, 
aren't  you  coming  it  rather  strong?  or  are  you  up 
to  the  mind-reading  racket  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I'm  wrong,  and  I  spoke  without  thinking. 
If  Drayton  isn't  an  honest  man,  I  don't  know  who 
is.  But  I  don't  like  his  position  all  the  same." 

"  A  man  like  Drayton's  got  to  have  some  position  ; 
and  wherever  you  see  ten  men  together  in  this  city 
you  can  take  it  even  that  there's  one  rascal  among  rem. 
However,  you  and  he  can  have  that  out  together 
this  evening ;  it's  none  of  my  funeral.  But  he's 
going  to  have  half-a-dozen  of  the  head  men  in  the 
affair  at  dinner  to-night,  and  we're  going  to  draw  up 
an  outline  of  the  whole  scheme.  It's  a  dead  secret, 


THEY  PART.  53 

of  course ;  and  when  the  big  gun  goes  off  we  can 
quote  our  shares  at  about  any  figure  we  choose.  In 
two  years  from  now  we  ought  to  average  a  million 

apiece,  easy." 

"  Who  are  the  men?"  asked  Warren. 

"Drayton  and  you  and  me  are  three.  Then 
there's  Callby,  and  Wiston,  and  Sprayne,  and  proba 
bly  O'Ryan.  That's  the  gang.  And  Miss  Lizzie 
will  shine  upon  us  until  the  coffee  is  served  and  give 
us  a  good  send-off.  Well,  here  goes  for  the  El. 
Half-past  six,  mind,  — and  don't  miss  the  clams  !  " 

With  this  injunction  Tom  Peekskill  strutted  off 
down  Fourteenth  street,  and  Warren  Bell,  left 
alone,  continued  his  way  up-town,  looking  more 
moody  than  ever. 


54  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SETH  DRAYTON. 

MR.  DRAYTON  was  a  New  Englandcr  by  birth,  — 
the  representative  of  an  eminently  respectable  Boston 
family.  In  his  youth  he  had  been  a  college  classmate 
of  the  father  of  Warren  Bell,  and  the  two  had  begun  a 
friendship  which  continued  in  moderate  but  constant 
force  up  to  the  time  of  the  Litter's  death.  When  the 
war  broke  out,  Franklin  Bell  volunteered,  raised  a 
company,  and  went  to  the  front  as  its  captain.  Seth 
Dray  ton,  who  had  all  his  life  had  an  obscure  ten 
dency  to  heart-disease,  which  became  more  pronounced 
at  about  this  juncture,  was  disabled  thereby  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  field ;  but  he  did  what 
he  could.  He  was  connected  with  a  wholesale  cloth- 
manufacturing  business,  and  he  furnished  our  regi 
ments  with  the  best  quality  of  cloth  that  was  served 
out  during  the  war.  All  his  contracts  were  punctu 
ally  and  honorably  filled.  Some  of  the  purveyors 
of  "  shoddy  "  may  have  made  money  faster  than  he  ; 
but,  in  the  long  run,  the  reputation  that  he  created 
redounded  to  his  own  profit  as  well  as  to  the  benefit 


SETII  DRAYTOtf.  55 

of  the  soldiers.     At  the  end  of  the  war  his  fortune 
was  very  large,  —  so  large  that  he  felt  justified  in 
retiring  from  business.     Indeed,  you  would  hardly 
have  supposed,  to  look  at  him,  that  he  had  ever  been 
a  business  man.     His  aspect  was  both  imposing  and 
refined,  — a    tall,  massive  personage,   with    a  high 
white  forehead,  and  a  grave,  handsome  face.     He 
had  kept  up  to  an  extent  unusual  for  an  American 
the  classical  studies  for  which  he  had  been  distingu 
ished    in    college ;    his    acquaintance    with   English 
literature  was  wide  and  scholarly  ;  and  he  was  some 
thing  of  a  connoisseur  in  art.     Though  he  was  not 
known  to  have  made  any  contributions  to  literature 
himself,  it  was  felt  that  a  man  whose  conversation 
was  so  cultured  and  discriminating  might  easily  have 
obtained  eminence  in  that  direction  had  he  chosen  to 
seek  it.     He  partly  compensated,  however,  for  his 
abstinence  with  the  pen  by  his  eloquence  on  the  plat 
form.     He  had  the  gift  of  thinking  on  his  feet ;  and 
his   thoughts  were  always  orthodox  in  quality  and 
graceful  in  form.    At  the  war-meetings  he  had  spoken 
frequently  and  effectively  ;  and  when  peace  reigned 
again  he  was  often  prevailed  upon  to  address  culti 
vated  audiences  on  topics  of  social  interest,  —  such 
as  the  enfranchisement  of  women,   the  diffusion  of 
education,    the   labor-problem,    and   free-trade    and 


56  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

protection.  In  a  word,  he  was  well  fitted  to  be  a 
type  of  the  aristocracy  and  elegance  of  the  intellect 
ual  centre  of  our  Republic. 

Mr.  Drayton  married  a  charming  and  accomplished 
Boston  lady,  and  built  himself  a  handsome  house  on 
the  new  land,  which  became  a  favorite  resort  of  New 
England  culture  and  fashion.  But,  even  had  the 
company  been  absent,  you  could  have  spent  many  a 
pleasant  hour  in  examining  the  treasures  of  art  and 
literature  which  adorned  his  rooms.  Besides  an  un 
doubted  Botticelli  and  a  highly  probable  Palma 
Vecchio,  he  possessed  rare  examples  of  Millet,  Corot, 
Gerome,  and  Meissonier,  a  small  Reynolds,  an  oil 
head  by  Hogarth,  of  himself,  half-a-dozen  first-rate 
impressions  of  etchings  by  Eembrandt,  a  tiny  water- 
color  ascribed  to  Turner,  a  pen-and-ink  sketch  by 
Thackeray,  with  a  verse  of  doggerel  attached,  a 
bronze  pitcher,  with  figures  in  high  relief,  believed 
to  be  the  design  of  Benvenuto  Cellini.  Of  books 
he  owned  a  large  and  costly  collection,  including  a 
number  of  first  editions  of  English  classics,  and 
many  admirable  examples  of  the  matchless  work  of 
the  great  bookbinders.  There  was  a  copy  of  Milton 
which  had  belonged  to  Coleridge,  with  his  annota 
tions  enriching  every  page ;  and  a  volume  of  Thu- 
cydides,  with  Shelley's  name  on  the  fly-leaf.  There 


SETH  DRAYTON.  57 

was  an  elaborately  carved  cabinet  of  black  teak,  con 
taining,  among  other  things,  two  jars  of  hawthorn-' 
blue  porcelain  eight  inches  high,  and  worth  their  fill 
of  gold  dollars,  an  incredibly- wrought  ivory  nest  of 
balls  from  China,  a  crystal  sphere  from  Japan,  and 
a  set  of  chessmen  in  gold  enamel,  exquisitely  fin 
ished,  and  disposed  upon  a  board  composed  of 
alternate  squares  of  gold  and  ebony.  But  it  would 
be  impossible  to  enumerate  even  the  leading  features 
of  a  collection  like  Mr.  Dray  ton's.  His  wife's  refined 
taste  enhanced  its  value  by  the  charm  of  judicious 
arrangement ;  so  that  you  seemed  rather  to  discover 
these  beautiful  and  interesting  objects  than  to  have 
them  obtruded  upon  you.  The  whole  interior  of  the 
house  was  attuned  to  a  quiet,  harmonious  key ;  it 
reminded  you  of  some  of  the  best  English  interiors 
—  if,  indeed,  it  were  nol  more  or  less  directly  mod 
elled  after  that  prototype.  There  was  a  superficial 
soberness  and  simplicity,  developing  upon  examina 
tion  into  elaborate  richness.  Altogether,  it  formed 
an  admirable  frame  for  the  impressive  figure  of  its 
owner,  who,  in  the  daytime,  lounged  gracefully 
about  in  a  velvet  coat  and  cap  and  Turkish  slippers, 
disguising  his  real  dignity  under  an  apparently  care 
less  ease,  and  in  the  evening  was  the  model  of  the 
courteous  and  accomplished  host,  whose  faultless 


58  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

attire  and  manners  seemed  rather  a  homage  to  his 
guests  than  a  glorification  of  himself.  He  was  a 
most  enjoyable  dinner- table  companion,  not  only 
because  his  gastronomical  education  was  so  refined, 
but  because  he  had  an  unfailing  flow  of  genial  chat 
and  anecdote,  interspersed  with  gleams  of  pleasant 
humor,  which  made  the  hours  sparkle  as  they  passed. 
Happy  must  have  been  the  wife  of  such  a  husband 
and  the  mistress  of  such  a  home  !  But  Mrs.  Dray  ton 
was  a  slender  and  fragile  woman,  with  an  apparently 
hereditary  disposition  to  thoughtfulness  and  mel 
ancholy  ;  so  that  she  acted  as  a  gentle  foil  to  her 
husband's  good  humor,  instead  of  as  a  sunny  reflec 
tion  of  it.  Plowbeit,  their  marriage  felicity  was  not 
destined  to  over-long  continuance.  A  few  years 
after  presenting  Mr.  Drayton  with  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Drayton  died;  and  then,  for  a  season,  the  beautiful 
house  on  the  new  land  was  wrapped  in  silence  and 
mourning. 

Upon  emerging  from  his  seclusion  Mr.  Drayton 
betrayed  the  severity  of  his  loss  by  seeking  the  dis 
traction  of  a  more  active  life.  He  entered  the  legis 
lature  of  his  native  State,  and  it  was  generally 
expected  that  he  would  become  a  leading  figure  in 
it.  But  the  career  of  politics  in  this  age  and  country 
does  not  always  reflect  the  true  measure  of  a  man's 


SET II  DRAYTON.  59 

worth.  The  competition  is  too  keen  at  times  for 
the  frailty  of  human  nature,  and  great  gifts  and 
lofty  purposes  will  sometimes  fail  to  win  for  their 
owner  the  honor  and  advancement  which  he  de 
serves.  After  making  all  allowances,  however,  it 
was  a  matter  of  surprise  and  indignation  to  Mr. 
Drayton's  friends  that  he  should  have  been  thwarted 
and  misrepresented  to  the  degree  he  was  in  his 
efforts  towards  reforming  and  elevating  the  tone  of 
political  life,  and,  in  order  to  silence  once  for  all 
his  ungenerous  rivals,  he  was  urged  to  accept  the 
nomination  for  governorship.  He  consented.  The 
canvass  was  exceedingly  bitter,  and  was  prosecuted 
on  both  sides  with  unusual  energy.  Mr.  Drayton 
was  now  for  the  first  time  made  sensible  of  the 
lengths  to  which  partisan  spite  will  go.  His 
"  record  "  was  assailed  in  the  most  cruel  and  vindictive 
spirit.  He  was  charged  with  disloyalty  to  his 
country  in  her  time  of  need,  with  coining  gold  out 
of  her  heart's  blood,  with  personal  cowardice,  with 
double-dealing,  with  time-serving,  with  hypocrisy. 
Nay,  the  privacy  of  his  domestic  life  was  violated, 
and  he  was  actually  accused  of  having  hastened  the 
death  of  his  wife  by  behavior  and  practices  which  it 
is  needless  to  specify  here.  We  all  know  what  such 
charges,  made  in  the  heat  of  a  vehemently  contested 


60  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

election,  amount  to  ;  hut  their  baselessness  is,  un 
fortunately,  no  measure  of  their  effect.  Yet  even 
such  wounds  might  have  been  healed  had  Mr.  Dray- 
ton's  success  in  the  conflict  given  the  palpable  lie  to 
all  evil  insinuations.  Unhappily  this  was  not  des 
tined  to  be  the  case. 

On  the  contrary  his  defeat  was  decisive.  It 
would  be  useless,  at  this  day,  to  speculate  as  to  the 
causes  of  that  defeat ;  be  the  cause  what  it  might 
the  effect  upon  him  was  the  same.  The  disappoint 
ment  and  apparent  disgrace  were  more  than  the 
proud  and  sensitive  spirit  of  this  aristocratic  descend 
ant  of  the  Puritans  could  brook.  With  less  than 
his  usual  strength  and  sagacity  of  character  he 
formed  and  carried  out  a  resolution  deprecated  by 
his  more  prudent  friends.  The  house  on  the  new 
land  was  announced  for  sale ;  and  not  only  the 
house,  but  the  precious  collection  of  works  of  art, 
the  library,  the  rarities,  and  the  curiosities  into  the 
bargain.  This  unexpected  event  created  a  stir  in 
Boston.  The  sale  (which  took  place  in  the  house) 
was  attended  by  crowds  of  people,  and  the  bidding 
was,  from  the  outset,  unusually  high.  It  lasted  five 
days,  and  the  gross  sum  realized  for  the  collection 
was  said,  by  those  wise  in  such  matters,  to  be  at 
least  double  that  expended  for  it.  The  house  was 


SETH  DRAYTON.  61 

not  disposed  of  by  auction,  but  was  sold  by  private 
treaty,  a  few  days  later,  for  its  full  value.  Of 
course,  a  man  of  Mr.  Drayton's  large  resources 
could  care  little  for  these  details  ;  but  it  was  hinted 
by  his  enemies  that,  at  all  events,  the  sale  more 
than  reimbursed  him  for  the  expenses  of  the  lost 
election,  which,  according  to  their  account,  had 
been  unrighteously  large. 

It  was  supposed  that  all  this  was  the  prepara 
tory  step  to  a  prolonged  or  perhaps  permanent 
sojourn  in  Europe.  To  Europe,  indeed,  Mr. 
Drayton  went,  taking  his  little  daughter,  Lizzie, 
with  him  ;  but  he  remained  scarcely  a  year,  and 
then,  leaving  Lizzie  at  an  excellent  school,  and 
under  the  eye  of  some  friends  residing  in  the  vicin 
ity,  he  came  back  to  his  native  country  and 
settled  in  New  York.  It  was  in  this  quiet  but 
telling  manner  that  he  requited  the  ill-treatment 
of  his  own  city.  He  bought  a  handsome  house 
on  Madison  avenue,  between  Thirty-fourth  and 
Forty-second  streets,  and  furnished  it  handsomely, 
but  without  any  of  the  artistic  accessories  that  had 
been  his  hobby  in  Boston.  He  seemed  to  have 
resolved  to  change  his  habits  along  with  his 
dwelling-place.  He  no  longer  sought  the  company 
of  merely  fashionable  or  Aesthetic  people.  By 


62  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

degrees  he  became  well  known  to  wealthy  mer 
chants,  to  leading  Wall-street  financiers,  to  states 
men  from  Washington,  and  to  other  distinguished 
gentlemen  interested  more  or  less  directly  in 
political  matters.  He  gave  select  dinners  to  per 
sons  of  this  class  ;  and,  as  his  wealth  was  such 
as  to  relieve  him  from  the  imputation  of  vulgar 
motives,  and  his  personal  attitude  was  understood  to 
be  that  of  a  judicious  and  unimpassioned  observer, 
he  began  to  exert  an  influence  of  a  peculiar  and 
enviable  kind.  He  had  the  confidence  of  men  of 
opposite  shades  of  political  opinion,  because  it  was 
known  that  he  had  no  stake  on  either  side,  and 
because  of  the  singular  frankness  and  directness 
of  his  speech  on  all  subjects  brought  before  him. 
There  was  a  vein  of  cynicism  in  it,  perhaps,  but 
it  was  honest  cynicism  ;  and  it  was,  for  the  most 
part,  uncommon  sound  sense  into  the  bargain.  The 
consequence  of  this  was,  that,  in  the  course  of 
the  next  few  years,  he  found  various  paths  opened 
to  him,  both  secretly  and  otherwise,  leading  to 
power,  political  or  pecuniary,  as  the  case  might 
be.  But  he  declined  to  take  advantage  of  any  of 
them.  He  said  that  he  had  been  a  fool  once, 
that  he  was  glad  his  folly  had  been  checked  so 
promptly  and  so  sharply,  and  that  he  would  never 


SET II  DRATTON.  G3 

be  a  fool  (of  that  species)  again.  All  this,  of 
course,  by  no  means  decreased  the  undefined  but 
real  influence  which  we  have  ascribed  to  him.  It 
is  not  to  be  inferred,  however,  that  he  was  actually 
idle.  His  contemplations  were  neither  aimless  nor 
profitless  ;  he  gained  a  deep  and  effective  insight 
into  the  workings  and  philosophy  of  the  larger 
social  movements  and  combinations  ;  and  we  need 
not  too  hastily  conclude  that,  in  his  own  way  and 
at  his  own  time,  he  might  not  find  it  worth  while  to 
make  some  of  this  stored  wisdom  practically  useful. 
Indeed,  some  three  or  four  years  ago  (at  the 
date  of  this  story),  he  had  so  far  overstepped  the 
boundaries  of  private  life  as  to  accept  a  position 
in  the  interests  of  the  city  which  afforded  him  an 
opportunity  to  repress  and  chastise  certain  abuses 
which  (to  put  it  gently)  had  crept  into  some 
departments  of  the  municipal  government.  He 
was  appointed  in  compliance  with  an  urgent  popu 
lar  demand,  and  he  soon  made  it  evident  that  the 
popular  confidence  had  not  been  misplaced.  Dur 
ing  his  term  of  office  he  was  "approached  "  by 
delegates  of  more  than  one  powerful  organization  ; 
but  it  was  soon  discovered  that  this  man  with  the 
keen,  measuring  eyes,  and  the  quiet,  satirical 
smile  was  not  to  be  tampered  with.  He  was 


64  LOVE—  OR  A  NAME. 

there  to  do  a  bit  of  work,  he  told  them ;  he 
meant  to  do  it  and  then  to  step  out.  And  he 
carried  out  this  programme  to  the  letter.  He  took 
no  pay  for  his  services,  and,  what  was  far  more 
remarkable,  he  forebore  to  use  the  advantages 
which  his  position  gave  him  to  make  profitable 
investments.  "It  was  an  idle  man's  holiday, — 
that's  all!"  he  said.  "I  could  afford  it;  it 
amused  me  ;  and  it  wasn't  worth  my  while  to  sell 
myself,  —  at  least  not  for  any  price  that  anybody 
seemed  able  or  willing  to  give." 

But  noblesse  oblige;  and  to  have  done  faithful 
duty  on  one  occasion  made  it  inevitable  that  Seth 
Drayton  should  be  selected  for  other  emergencies 
of  a  like  nature  ;  and  since  he  could  excuse  him 
self  on  no  better  ground  than  an  indolent  fond 
ness  for  having  his  time  and  thoughts  at  his  own 
disposal,  he  was  once  in  a  while  over-persuaded 
into  undertaking  these  unwelcome  burdens.  But  we 
need  not  pursue  this  subject  further.  Mr.  Dray- 
ton  happened  to  hear  favorable  mention  of  Warren 
Bell,  and,  after  having  satisfied  himself  by  per 
sonal  investigation  that  the  young  man  was  well 
qualified  in  his  profession,  he  obtained  for  him 
the  position  in  the  Hydrographic  Department 
which  was  the  beginning  of  his  career. 


SETH  DRATTON.  65 

"Your  father  and  I  were  friends,  Warren,"  he 
said  on  this  occasion  ;  "  but  that  is  not  my  reason 
for  getting  you  this  place.  If  you  were  not  fitted 
for  it,  I  should  think  I  served  him  better  by 
heading  you  off.  Well,  now  do  the  rest  for 
yourself.  But  if  you  ever  care  to  drop  in  on  me 
for  a  social  chat,  I  shall  always  be  glad  to  see 
your  father's  son,  —  and  you  too." 

Warren  Bell  expressed  his  acknowledgments, 
but  very  seldom  availed  himself  of  the  invitation. 
About  this  time,  also,  Miss  Lizzie  Dray  ton,  having 
"  completed  "  her  education,  returned  to  America  to 
begin  life  ;  and  few  young  ladies  start  on  their  social 
career  under  more  promising  conditions.  She  was 
very  young,  very  well-trained,  very  pretty,  and 
would  have  an  indefinite  number  of  millions  to  her 
dowry.  And  her  father  once  more  modified  his 
style  of  living,  threw  open  his  house  to  the  world  of 
fashion,  for  Lizzie's  sake,  and,  without  losing  his 
hold  upon  the  political  world,  became  once  more  the 
fascinating  and  facile  host  who  had  been  in  abeyance 
since  the  old  Boston  days.  Of  course  he  was  not 
quite  the  same,  and  some  intelligent  observers  said 
they  liked  him  better,  and  others  fancied  they  didn't 
like  him  quite  so  well ;  but  all  united  in  liking 
Lizzie. 


G6  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  THERE'S  MY  HAND  !  " 

WARREN  BELL  arrived  at  Mr.  Drayton's  house 
at  6.30,  but  the  only  member  of  the  syndicate  who 
had  got  there  before  him  was  Tom  Peekskill,  who 
was  already  deeply  occupied  in  the  entertainment 
of  Miss  Lizzie,  in  the  back  drawing-room.  Mr. 
Dray  ton  shook  hands  witli  him,  and  after  a  few 
minutes'  general  conversation,  he  took  him  into  the 
library  where  they  were  alone.  Warren  thought 
that  this  indicated  prospective  good-fortune  for 
Tom ;  but  he  was  not  disposed  to  be  envious. 
Lizzie  seemed  to  him  to  lack  substance. 

"  I'm  early,  it  appears,"  he  remarked  to  Mr. 
Dray  ton. 

"  No,"  returned  the  other,  stroking  his  long,  iron- 
gray  beard,  and  gazing  thoughtfully  at  his  guest. 
"  No,  but  circumstances  made  it  necessary  to  alter  the 
hour,  almost  at  the  last  moment,  —  7,  instead  of  6.30. 
I  should  have  sent  you  word  li:id  I  known  where  to 
find  you.  But  I'm  glad  it  has  turned  out  so  ;  a 
word  or  two  of  private  explanation  will  do  no  harm." 


"THERE'S   JUT  HAND!"  67 

"  Is  there  a  syndicate  w- within  the  syndicate  ?  " 
asked  Warren. 

"  That's  just  what  I  want  to  guard  against,  if  pos 
sible.  We  must  all  mean  the  same  thing  and  act 
with  the  same  object,  or  not  at  all,  —  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned.  I  have  talked  with  the  other  men,  but 
not  with  you." 

"What  is  it  all  about?" 

"  Technically  and  immediately,  it's  about  a  new 
water-supply  for  the  city  ;  but  our  real  and  perma 
nent  object  is  much  broader,  —  much  broader. 
Are  you  willing  to  promise  to  make  no  outside  allu 
sion  to  what  you  hear,  in  case  you  don't  go  with  us  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  Warren,  promptly.  "I'll 
have  nothing  to  do  with  any  concealments  ;  we  have 
too  much  of  them  already.  I  would  do  all  I  could 
to  let  in  light  and  air." 

Mr.  Dray  ton  smiled,  and  then  looked  aside, 
grasping  his  beard.  "  And  if  light  and  air,  why 
not  water?  "  he  said  presently,  resuming  his  contem 
plative  gaze  at  the  younger  man.  "  Well,  that's 
what  I  wanted  to  hear  from  you.  Indeed,  if  I 
hadn't  known  it  before,  I  shouldn't  have  troubled 
you  to  come  here  to-night.  Light  and  air,  —  purity 
and  freedom,  —  that's  what  we  all  are  after.  But 
the  way  to  get  them,  Mr.  Warren  Bell,  is  by  method 


68  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

and  persistence — by  discipline,  —  not  by  hap-hazard 
and  short-sighted  spasms  of  emotional  reform." 

"Yes,"  admitted  Warren,  coloring,  and  feeling 
that  he  had  once  more  been  over-hasty. 

"It  isn't  a  thing  to  be  undertaken  with  a  light 
heart,"  continued  Mr.  Dray  ton.  "  The  opposition 
we  shall  have  to  meet  cannot  be  over-estimated,  — 
its  organization,  its  activity,  its  power.  We  shall 
be  fought  against  as  men  fight  for  their  lives  and 
liberties." 

"  One  honest  man  is  a  match  for  a  dozen  rogues," 
said  Warren. 

"That  is  cant,  sir  !  "  returned  Mr.  Drayton,  quickly. 
"One  rogue  is  much  more  likely  to  overmatch  a 
dozen  honest  men.  The  rogue  has  a  definite  motive, 
—  his  own  interest ;  the  honest  man  a  very  vague 
one,  —  the  interests  of  morality.  You  must  make 
your  account  in  this  world  with  flesh-and-blood 
motives,  not  with  abstract  theories." 

"  I  mean  to,"  said  Warren  ;  "  and  I  want  to  know 
whether  this  syndicate  is  based  on  an  abstract  theory 
or  a  f-flesh-and-blood  motive  ?  " 

Mr.  Drayton  paused  a  few  moments,  not  as  if  he 
were  embarrassed,  but  as  if  he  were  debating  within 
himself  which  of  several  possible  replies  to  make. 
At  length  he  asked  :  — 


"  THERE'S  MY  HAND!"  69 

"  Have  you  any  reason  to  distrust  me  ?  " 

"  There  are  two  reasons  why  I  might  distrust  you," 
the  young  man  answered. 

"Well,  what  are  they?" 

"In  the  first  place,  I  don't  know  why  you  should 
fix  upon  me  as  one  of  your  syndicate.  There  are 
engineers  enough  who  understand  their  business  as 
well  as  I  do,  and  are  much  older  and  better  known. 
You  might  have  thought  that  I  was  young  and 
could  be  managed  easily." 

"Hoodwinked,  that  is  to  say,  —  made  a  tool  of. 
Yes.  What  is  the  other  reason?  " 

"  I  don't  like  your  position.  You  are  chairman 
of  the  Compensation  Fund.  A  good  many  of  them 
are  said  to  be  rascals.  If  this  syndicate  is  to  put 
the  rascals  out,  y-you  are  playing  a  double  game." 

"  True.  But  I  am  not  a  fool,  Mr.  Bell.  I  have 
had  experience,  and  I  have  some  insight  into  char 
acter.  You  are  a  young  man,  but  it  needs  no  magi 
cian  to  see,  with  half  an  eye,  that  you  are  honest. 
You  have  several  gifts,  but  not  the  gift  of  dissimu 
lation.  You  have  several  virtues,  but  not  (excuse 
me)  the  virtue  of  humility.  You  are  independent 
and  aggressive  to  a  fault.  Whatever  my  reasons 
for  inviting  you  to  join  me,  it  could  not  have  been 
the  expectation  of  duping  you.  I  have  no  use  for 


70  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

dupes.  I  want  men  who  can  comprehend  a  situa 
tion,  and,"  he  added,  smiling,  "speak  their  mind 
about  it." 

"  I  am  not  incapable  of  courtesy,"  said  Warren  ; 
"  but,  if  we  are  to  understand  each  other,  1  thought 
ceremony  had  better  wait." 

"  Now  as  to  my  double  game.  I  suppose  you 
know  that  I  have  lived  in  this  city  for  upwards  of  a 
dozen  years  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  know  that." 

"  But  you  don't  know  —  because,  up  to  this  mo 
ment,  no  one  knows  it  —  what  my  object  was  in 
coming  here,  and  what  I  have  been  doing  since  I 
came.  Well,  it  was  in  order  to  tell  you  those  two 
things  that  I  invited  you  here  this  evening."  Here 
Mr.  Drayton  came  a  step  nearer  to  his  interlocuctor, 
and  spoke  in  a  lower  tone.  "  I  have  always  been 
an  upright  man,  Mr.  Bell.  I  have  never  aided  and 
abetted  rascals  ;  but  I'm  free  to  confess  that  my 
abstract  preference  for  right  and  justice  alone  would 
never  have  kindled  me  to  the  fighting-point.  I 
needed  a  sharper  spur  than  that,  and  I  got  it.  I'll 
call  it  by  its  worst  name  —  revenge !  Don't  be 
alarmed ;  there  is  no  melodrama.  I  shan't  roll  my 
r's  nor  my  eyes,  nor  call  the  gods  to  witness.  I  am 
talking  business.  When  I  was  a  Bostonian  I  had 


"THERE'S   MY  HAND!"  71 

an  ambition,  a  commonplace  and  harmless  one,  to 
serve  my  country  ;  that  is,  to  enter  the  Legislature 
to  write  Honorable  before  my  name,  with  a  gov 
ernorship  or  scnatorship  in  prospect.  I  intended  no 
harm,  beyond  the  gratification  of  a  little  vanity,  and 
I  fancied  I  saw  my  way,  incidentally,  to  doing  some 
good.  Well,  the  rascals  must  have  suspected  me 
of  much  better  intentions  than  I  ever  had,  for  they 
combined  against  me,  assailed  me  with  the  vilest 
weapons,  and  defeated  me.  I  imagined  I  was  am 
bitious  before  ;  but  that  experience  taught  me  what 
ambition  really  was.  It  taught  me  the  difference 
between  abstractions  and  flesh  and  blood.  It  made 
me  feel  the  difference  between  right  and  wrong  in 
theory,  and  my  right  and  my  wrongs  in  the  con 
crete.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  my  defeat 
should  not  be  final,  —  that  I  would  fight  again,  but 
not  until  I  was  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  knew  how 
to  use  my  weapons.  So  I  came  here,  because  here 
is  the  largest  field,  and  here  the  struggle  would  be 
decisive.  For  these  twelve  years  I  have  been  prac 
tising  at  the  mark  until  now  I  can  hit  the  bull's-eye 
every  time.  I  have  studied  my  ground  and  the 
tactics  of  my  enemy.  I  know  every  important  man 
and  combination  of  men  in  the  State,  —  and  in  other 
States  besides  this.  I  know  their  records,  their 


72  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

secrets,  and  their  aims.  And  no  one  of  them  has 
fathomed  my  drift  or  heeded  my  evolutions.  They 
think  I  am  a  harmless,  good  man,  a  useful,  popular 
figure-head  to  give  respectability  to  their  schemes. 
They  know  I  am  beyond  the  temptations  of  money, 
and  they  fancy  my  ambition,  if  I  ever  had  any,  died 
long  ago.  They  find  me  convenient,  but  not  danger 
ous.  Well,  we  shall  see  !  " 

Mr.  Dray  ton  paused  at  this  point,  with  his  beard 
in  his  hand,  and  his  keen  eyes  fixed  on  Warren 
Bell.  The  latter  certainly  felt  that  this  was  a  man, 
and  no  scarecrow  or  wind-bag.  He  had  never  liked 
him,  but  he  began  now  to  admire  him,  and  even  to 
be  captivated  by  him.  If  he  were  deficient  in  win 
ning  geniality,  he  had  at  any  rate  intellect,  will,  and 
passion.  If  lie  were  a  man  with  a  grievance,  his 
grievance  had  developed  instead  of  narrowing  him. 
He  was  not  to  be  sounded  by  ordinary  plummets, 
nor  was  his  orbit  to  be  measured  in  feet  and  inches. 
Moreover,  he  was  a  man  who  had  the  penetration  to 
see  through  himself,  and  the  intrepidity  not  to  gloss 
over  what  he  saw  there.  He  hated  corruption 
and  rascality  with  a  personal,  not  a  metaphysical 
hatred. 

To  be  sure,  that  might  mean  that  he  hated  the 
rascals  rather  than  the  rascality,  and  therefore  might 


"THERE'S    MY  HAND!"  73 

himself  use  rascality  to  overthrow  them ;  but  such 
an  inference  was  premature,  to  say  the  best  of  it. 

"Now,  Warren,"  said  Mr.  Drayton,  interrupting 
the  young  man's  meditations,  and  speaking  in  a 
gentler  tone  than  he  had  yet  used,  "would  you,  in 
my  place,  act  as  chairman  of  the  Compensation 
Fund,  or  not?" 

Warren  reflected.  "  I  should  not,"  he  said  at 
last. 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  I  should  have  to  1-lie  to  those  fellows, 
either  actually  or  implicitly ;  and  1-Jying  doesn't  suit 
me." 

"  If  your  best  friend  were  hunted  for  his  life,  and 
you  knew  which  way  he  had  escaped,  would  you  tell 
his  hunters  or  lie  about  it? 

"I'd  hold  my  tongue." 

"You  would  suppress  the  truth.  But  suppose 
they  started  on  the  right  track  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  then  I'd  lie,"  Warren  admitted. 

"And  let  me  tell  you  this,"  added  Drayton, 
gravely  :  "  every  man  has  his  price.  For  one,  it  is 
a  million  dollars  ;  for  another,  love ;  for  another, 
hate ;  for  another,  ambition  ;  for  another,  his  soul's 
salvation.  Don't  be  deceived  in  yourself,  or  you'll 
be  undeceived  when  you  least  expect  it.  From 


74  LOVE—  OR  A  NAME. 

what  I  have  told  you,  you  may  know  what  my  price 
is.  I  have  resolved  to  leave  my  country  cleaner  of 
vermin  than  I  found  it.  I  don't  pretend  to  be  a 
miraculous  Messiah.  I  must  do  it  the  best  way  I 
can ;  but  I  will  do  it,  —  I'm  in  earnest !  I  don't 
ask  you,  or  any  man,  to  follow  in  my  footsteps ;  I 
only  ask  you  to  aim  at  my  goal.  Help  me  to  win, 
and  you  shall  share  the  glory,  and  I  will  bear  the 
scars." 

"  Not  at  all !"  rejoined  Warren  Bell.  "  If  I  join 
you,  we  must  divide  the  k-kicks  as  well  as  the  cake. 
But  I  don't  half  like  it." 

"You  are  the  son  of  the  only  friend  I  ever  had," 
said  Dray  ton.  "  Frank  Bell  and  I  had  our  boyish 
dreams,  and  confided  them  to  each  other.  I  see 
him  again  in  you,  — his  mind  and  his  spirit,  —  and 
I  tell  you  fairly,  boy  as  you  are,  half  of  my  interest 
in  my  life's  purpose  will  be  gone  if  you  can't  be  with 
me  in  it.  But  stop  and  think !  Come  with  your 
whole  heart,  or  don't  come  at  all." 

"  Beware  !  "  said  Intuition.  "Don't  be  an  ass  !  " 
said  Reason. 

"There's  my  hand,"  said  Warren  Bell. 

The  two  men  shook  hands  in  silence.  The  clock 
struck  the  hour,  and  the  door-bell  rang.  The  other 
members  of  the  syndicate  began  to  arrive. 


"THERE'S   MY  HAND!"  75 

"  This  water-works  business  is  but  the  small  end 
of  the  wedge,"  remarked  Dray  ton,  as  they  walked 
towards  the  reception-room.  "These  men  will 
serve  us  so  far,  and  no  farther.  I  shall  tell  you  all 
about  it  later.  You  don't  know,"  he  added,  smil 
ing,  "how  much  I  depended  upon  you." 

Warren  did  not  reply.  The  thought  had  flitted 
into  his  mind,  "  What  would  Nell  Anthony  say  to 
all  this?" 


76  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    SYNDICATE. 

MR.  DRAYTON  and  his  daughter  sat  at  opposite 
ends  of  the  dinner-table,  and  Warren  found  himself 
placed  at  the  latter's  right  hand,  while  Tom  Peek- 
skill  was  two  scats  up  on  the  same  side.  Tom 
would  probably  have  liked  to  have  the  situation  re 
versed,  nor  would  Warren  have  offered  the  least 
opposition  to  the  change.  However,  he  could  see, 
even  when  his  eye-glasses  were  down,  that  Lizzie 
was  looking  extremely  pretty,  and  he  reconciled 
himself  without  much  difficulty  to  making  the  best 
of  his  opportunities.  The  young  lady  had  golden 
eyes  and  bright  chestnut  hair,  with  a  natural  crinkle 
in  it.  Her  nose  lacked  just  enough  of  being  straight 
to  redeem  her  face  from  over-regularity ;  her  upper 
lip  was  fuller  than  the  lower,  and  her  complexion 
had  a  clear  rosiness  in  it,  varying  with  her  mood, 
which  added  indefinitely  to  her  charms.  She  was 
of  fair  height,  and  budding,  graceful  figure,  which 
had  been  trained  to  fall  instinctively  into  becoming 
and  winning  poses ;  while  her  movements  and 


THE  SYNDICATE.  77 

gestures  were  both  naive  and  refined.  Lizzie  had 
all  manner  of  foreign  accomplishments  ;  but  it  is  a 
valuable  testimony  to  the  solidity  of  American  insti 
tutions  that  her  innate  Americanism  (if  not  Bos- 
tonianism)  shone  through  them  all,  and,  it  may  be 
added,  lent  them  an  additional  attractiveness.  The 
girl's  hands  were  particularly  beautiful,  being  soft 
and  dimpled,  with  rather  short  and  delicately  taper 
ing  fingers,  smooth  and  flexible.  Had  all  the 
world  possessed  such  hands,  no  stroke  of  work 
would  ever  have  been  done,  from  Eve  till  now. 
Miss  Drayton  was  dressed  in  a  kind  of  soft  flutter  of 
lace  and  ribbons  and  delicate  jewelery  of  no  definite 
color,  but  conveying  a  subdued  reflection  of  the 
sunny  glow  of  her  eyes,  and  of  their  diamond  sparkle 
also. 

"How  has  Easter  agreed  with  you?"  Warren 
inquired. 

"It  was  lovely!"  returned  Lizzie,  in  her  soft, 
sensitive  voice.  "I  always  am  glad  of  Lent,  when 
Easter  comes  ;  Easter  all  the  year  round  would  be 
too  much,  — like  sunshine  all  the  twenty-four  hours, 
as  they  have  it  at  the  equator  —  or  the  North  Pole, 
is  it  ?  Now,  don't  laugh,  —  I  never  was  there,  so  how 
can  I  remember  ?  But  you  don't  care  for  society,  do 
you?" 


78  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"B-bless  me,  yes,  indeed  !  " 

"  Oh  1  do  you  ?  Well,  I  do.  I  love  it !  Do  you 
dance  the  german?  Well,  my  ideal  of  life  is,  that  it 
should  be  a  continual  german,  with  new  figures  and 
favors  all  the  time.  I'm  sure  it's  as  near  perfect  as 
any  enjoyment  in  the  world  can  be,  — the  music,  the 
lights,  the  colors,  the  excitement,  the  variety." 

"The  variety  of  partners,  you  mean?" 

"  Yes  —  and  the  figures ;  you  get  all  wound  up 
and  think  you  are  lost,  and  then,  at  the  last  moment, 
you  come  out  all  right,  in  a  burst  of  music  !  If  I 
were  a  man,  I  would  do  nothing  but  lead  the  ger 
man  all  the  time,  like  Mr.  Peekskill." 

"Is  that  all  he  does?" 

"  Now,  you  are  not  to  abuse  Mr.  Peekskill,  because 
I  like  him,  and  he  dances  like  a  seraph,  and  I'm  sure 
he  speaks  well  of  you ;  he  said  just  now  that  you 
were  the  brightest  man  he  knows." 

"  Well,  he  is  the  best  1-leader  of  the  german  I 
know  ;  so  we're  square." 

"  I  should  think  men  would  get  so  tired  thinking 
of  nothing  but  business,"  continued  Miss  Drayton, 
after  an  interval.  "Of  course,  I  know  some  men 
have  to  work,  whether  they  like  it  or  not;  but  — 
well,  now,  there's  papa ;  I'm  sure  he  needn't,  and  I 
often  ask  him  to  please  stop,  and  just  have  a  good 


THE  SYNDICATE.  79 

time.  But  I  guess  he's  never  got  over  dear  mamma's 
death ;  and,  of  course,  I  can't  be  to  him  what  she 
was,  though  I  do  try  to  amuse  him  ;  but  he  doesn't 
care  to  be  amused  in  my  way ;  he's  so  wise ;  and 
I'm  not  a  bit  intellectual,  though  I  am  a  Boston 
girl,"  she  said,  with  a  delicate  little  gurgle  of 
laughter. 

"Every  man  ought  to  be  married,  of  course," 
observed  Warren. 

"You're  not  married,  are  you,  Mr.  Bell?"  she 
asked. 

"No;  nor  likely  to  be." 

"  Oh  !  Why  not  ?  —  I  mean  —  you  said  every 
man  "  — 

"The  fact  is,  Miss  Drayton,  I  never  learned  how 
to  dance  the  german,  and  it  was  inferred,  very  natu 
rally,  that  I  wouldn't  know  how  to  take  care  of  a 
wife  either.  At  any  rate,  the  young  lady  whom 
I  hoped  to  marry  refused  me,  and  I'm  too  old  to 
learn  the  german  now." 

If  Lizzie's  intellect  was  limited,  her  intuitive 
perceptions  were  very  keen,  and  she  not  only  felt 
that  Warren  was  chaffing  her,  but  she  divined,  also, 
that  she  had  touched  him  in  a  painful  spot.  "I 
beg  your  pardon!"  she  said,  blushing;  and  then, 
in  the  nervousness  of  the  moment,  she  added,  "If 


80  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

you  will  come  to  my  next  dance  I'll  teach  you" 
—  and  stopped  short. 

"I  certainly  will,"  said  Warren,  with  presence 
of  mind ;  "  not  to  redeem  the  past,  for  that's  dead 
and  buried,  but  to  p-plant  the  seeds  of  hope  for 
the  future." 

Lizzie  laughed,  and  sipped  some  iced  champagne, 
in  the  hope  of  cooling  her  cheeks ;  but  her  spon 
taneity  was  checked  for  the  time  being,  and  she 
made  only  short  and  timid  replies  to  Warren's  re 
marks,  until  at  length  he  relinquished  her  to  the 
ardent  courtesies  of  the  handsome  Irishman,  Mr. 
O'Ryan,  who  sat  on  her  left. 

Mr.  Callby,  who  sat  next  to  Warren,  was  a  very 
large  and  heavy  man,  with  a  bald  head,  and  yellow 
ish  side-whiskers  streaked  with  gray.  He  had  been 
very  busy  with  his  dinner,  —  a  devotion  rendered 
more  noticeable  by  the  fact  that  he  wore  a  set  of 
false  teeth,  the  fastenings  of  which  seemed  to  be 
insecure.  But,  now  that  the  advent  of  the  sorbet 
had  retired  him  temporarily  from  the  struggle,  he 
emerged  as  a  fine-looking  personage,  with  a  sup 
pressed  smile  about  the  corners  of  his  mouth,  and  a 
demure  but  triumphant  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"  Your  health,  sir,"  he  said,  raising  his  glass  of 
wine  as  Warren  looked  towards  him.  "  We  ought 


THE  SYNDICATE.  81 

to  be  well  acquainted,  as  I  presume  we  are  to  act 
together.  You,  as  well  our  host,  are  from  the 
modern  Athens,  I  believe?" 

"If  Hickory  is  the  modern  Athens,  I  was  born 
there,"  replied  Warren ;  "  but  Mr.  Drayton  came 
from  Boston.  Where  do  you  come  from?" 

"  Hem  !  My  native  place  is  Philadelphia,"  began 
Mr.  Callby,  gathering  himself  together ;  but  Tom 
Peekskill,  who  sat  beyond  him,  leaned  forward  and 
interrupted. 

"He's  a  reformed  Quaker,  Warren,"  he  said, 
"  and  we've  scooped  him  in  to  do  the  imposing  for 
us.  But  you  mustn't  let  him  impose  on  you.  He's 
the  proprietor  of  a  patent  method  of  joining  water- 
pipes  together,  aren't  you,  Callby?  Say,  Warren, 
old  man,  are  you  glad  you  came?  Beats  the  hydro- 
graphic  racket,  doesn't  it?" 

"Almost  as  good  as  c-conducting  a  german,"  re 
turned  Warren,  who  did  not  relish  being  exploited 
by  anybody.  But  certainly  he  was  in  an  uncon- 
ciliating  humor  on  this  evening,  and  it  was  the  re 
sult  of  several  causes.  His  interview  with  Nell 
Anthony,  though  its  issue  was  what  he  had  wished 
rather  than  meant  it  to  be,  had  perplexed  and 
humiliated  him;  his  compact  with  Mr.  Drayton, 
though  deliberately  made,  and  following  the  line  of 


82  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

his  best  aspirations,  had  only  increased  his  self-dis 
satisfaction  ;  and  finally,  his  hap-hazard  chat  with 
Lizzie  had  (for  no  assignable  reason)  brought  all 
this  discontent  to  a  focus,  and  disposed  him  to 
quarrel  with  whomsoever  addressed  him.  It  so 
happened,  however,  that  he  was  not  again  interfered 
with  during  the  remaining  courses  ;  and  by  the  time 
Miss  Lizzie  had  bade  adieu  to  the  guests,  he  had  so 
far  recovered  himself  as  to  be  able  to  present  a  de 
meanor  at  least  outwardly  composed. 

Cigars  were  now  handed  round,  and  the  guests 
drew  their  chairs  towards  the  head  of  the  table. 

"  This  is  rather  a  social  than  a  business  meeting, 
gentlemen,"  observed  Drayton,  pouring  out  a  glass 
of  claret,  and  pushing  the  bottle.  "  Our  enterprise 
is  going  on  well,  and  no  revision  seems  as  yet  to  be 
necessary.  There'll  be  no  opposition  to  the  con 
tract,  you  think,  O'Ryan?" 

"  Trust  me  for  that !  "  replied  the  gentleman 
addressed,  nodding  his  head,  and  looking  round 
with  a  confident  smile.  "The  contract  that  Ter 
ence  O'Ryan  can't  carry  out,  —  if  it  involved  dis- 
embowellin'  every  street  in  the  city,  from  Harlem  to 
the  Battery,  — hasn't  been  made  yet,  and  won't, 
please  the  pigs  !  " 

In  spite  of  Mr.   Terence  O'Ryan's    defiant   Ian- 


THE  SYNDICATE.  83 

guage,  Warren  liked  bis. looks  better  tban  tbose  of 
the  rest  of  the  syndicate.  He  had  a  bold,  good- 
humored,  blue  eye,  a  straight,  strong  nose,  with  a 
dark  mustache  under  it,  and  a  square,  resolute 
chin.  Warren  had  heard  of  him  before,  and  knew 
that  his  claim  to  exemption  from  ordinary  restraints 
was  not  without  foundation,  though  it  was  not  clear 
how  the  exemption  was  secured. 

"How  about  the  land-owners,  governor?"  in 
quired  Tom  Peekskill,  rolling  his  cigar  into  the 
extreme  corner  of  his  mouth,  and  throwing  his  left 
arm  over  the  back  of  his  chair. 

"  Wiston's  reports  are  favorable,  I  believe,"  said 
Dray  ton,  turning  to  the  gentleman  on  his  right. 
The  individual  thus  indicated  was  small  and  plump, 
and  everything  about  him  seemed  to  be  either 
spherical  or  circular,  according  to  circumstances. 
He  had  a  round  head,  round  eyes,  a  round  nose, 
and  a  mouth  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  pursing 
up  in  a  circular  form  ;  his  little  body  was  globular, 
and  the  backs  of  his  short  hands  had  a  rounded 
appearance.  Mr.  Wiston  shifted  himself  in  his 
chair,  lifted  his  thin  eyebrows  to  an  inordinate 
height,  and  said,  in  a  smooth,  piping  voice  :  — 

"I  think  I  may  affirm,  on  the  part  of  the  land 
owners  of  the  district  from  which  I  understand  it  to 


84  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

be  the  intention  of    the   syndicate,   that   the  *-»  I 
would  say,  along  the  line  of  the  proposed  "  — 

"  Prepared  speeches  are  out  of  order  ! "  put  in 
Tom  Peekskill,  who  had  a  sort  of  prescriptive 
license  in  the  matter  of  humorous  impertinences. 
"Skip  your  exordium,  old  man,  and  let's  have 
the  what-d'ye-call  it.  The  up-country  folks  are 
solid,  eh?" 

"If  all  the  trouble  we  have  comes  from  them,  I 
guess  we'll  get  on,"  observed  Mr.  Wiston's  right- 
hand  neighbor,  a  long-haired,  gaunt,  hollow-eyed, 
lank,  and  sprawling  gentleman,  with  a  Western 
drawl,  and  incontinence  of  knees  and  elbows.  "  We 
all  hold  good  cards,  but  they've  got  a  straight  flush, 
—  rent  and  perquisites  both.  No,  sir !  all  I'm 
afraid  of  is,  the  other  fellows  getting  on  to  our 
game  and  buying  over  our  heads.  You  must  keep 
your  eye  peeled,  Dray  ton  !  " 

"You  are  perhaps  not  aware,  gentlemen,"  said 
Dray  ton,  "that  though  I  should  lose  a  great  deal 
by  the  failure  of  our  scheme,  I  shall  make  nothing, 
in  the  way  of  money,  by  its  success.  My  position 
is  one  of  the  few  real  luxuries  which  being  in  easy 
circumstances  can  give  a  man.  I  tell  you  frankly 
that  I  have  devised  this  affair  to  please  myself. 
Peekskill,  here,  has  charge  of  my  investments,  and  he 


THE  SYNDICATE.  85 

knows  how  I  have  placed  myself.  As  you  all  know, 
I  have  made  myself  responsible  for  whatever  funds 
may  be  necessary  to  put  the  work  upon  a  successful 
basis.  If  we  fail,  this  sum,  whatever  it  may  be,  is 
lost,  and  nothing  more  will  be  said  about  it.  If  we 
succeed  it  will  be  repaid  to  me,  without  interest,  by 
an  annual  tax  of  ten  per  cent,  on  the  net  profit  of 
the  company.  After  it  has  been  thus  repaid  my 
claims  upon  the  exchequer  will  finally  cease.  But, 
in  return  for  this,  I  shall  occupy  permanently  the 
office  of  director,  and  my  authority  will  be  decisive 
on  all  questions  of  policy  and  procedure.  If  any  of 
you  are  unwilling  to  accept  this  arrangement,  now 
is  the  time  to  say  so.''' 

He  looked  round  the  table,  at  each  person  in  turn, 
and  no  one  spoke,  until  his  glance  fell  upon  Warren 
Bell.  His  announcement  had  taken  Warren  by 
surprise,  as  it  probably  had  done  most  of  the  others, 
and  he  had  been  rapidly  examining  the  situation  in 
his  mind.  Drayton's  proposal  seemed  not  only  fair, 
but  magnanimous  and  almost  quixotic,  regarded 
from  an  ordinary  point  of  view ;  but  Warren,  en 
lightened  by  their  recent  interview,  perceived  that, 
from  Dray  ton's  point  of  view,  the  latter's  compensa 
tion  would  be  abundant.  He  gave  —  or  refused  — 
money ;  but  he  took  power  in  its  place  ;  and  it  was 


86  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

to  be  remembered,  also,  that  the  revenues  which  he 
so  grandly  rejected  were  by  no  means  essential  to 
his  solvency ;  he  would  still  be  indefinitely  richer 
than,  probably,  all  the  rest  of  the  syndicate  put  to 
gether.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  what  stronger 
guarantee  of  good  faith  could  Drayton  give  than 
this  ?  And  what  motive  could  he  have  for  abusing 
any  powers  with  which  he  was  intrusted?  In  the 
last  resort,  moreover,  if  one  did  not  approve  of  his 
proceedings,  one  could  at  any  rate  take  himself  out 
of  the  concern,  and  be  at  liberty.  Meanwhile,  there 
was  certainly  no  member  of  the  syndicate  whom 
Warren  would  have  preferred  to  Drayton  as  director. 
These  thoughts  flashed  in  a  moment  through  his 
brain. 

"  As  long  as  you  stand  by  your  engagement,"  he 
said,  "I'll  stand  by  you.  All  things  considered,  I 
think  you're  about  right.  You  ought  not  to  do  less 
than  you  propose,  and  I  d-don't  care  to  have  you  do 
any  more." 

"  Hear  !  hear  !  "  exclaimed  Terence  O'Ryan. 
"Faith,  the  hon'able  mimber  for  Hydrography  has 
spoke  the  sense  of  the  meeting  ! "  And  there  was  a 
general  murmur  of  acquiescence. 

"  Of  course,  this  is  only  an  informal  statement, 
which,  however,  I  wished  to  make  to  you  in  a 


THE  SYNDICATE.  87 

body,"  said  Drayton.  "  Our  articles  of  association 
will  be  drawn  up  in  due  time  and  form.  Mr. 
Sprayne  "  —  here  he  nodded  at  the  Western-looking 
personage  —  "  has  conducted  our  interests  at  Albany 
so  skilfully  that  the  Legislature  has  given  us  all 
we  need  without  being  aware  of  its  own  complai 
sance.  Active  work  will  be  begun  immediately, 
and  our  friend,  Mr.  Warren  Bell,  will  lose  no  time 
in  beginning  the  necessary  surveys.  Mr.  Peekskill 
is  authorized  to  make  any  necessary  disbursements. 
Mr.  Bell,  you  will  find  Mr.  O'Ryan  an  agreeable 
colleague,  personally  as  well  as  professionally. 
And  now,  gentlemen,  pass  the  bottle ;  let's  have 
done  with  this  dry  talk,  and  enjoy  ourselves  ! " 


88  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"IS    THAT    ALL?" 

A  FEW  days  after  the  dinner  Tom  Peekskill 
dropped  in  for  an  afternoon  call.  He  was  to 
conduct  the  germ  an  at  Miss  Dray  ton's  approaching 
ball,  and  it  was  in  order  for  him  to  talk  over  with 
her  the  plan  of  the  figures.  Whether  by  previous 
arrangement  or  not,  she  was  alone,  and  received  him 
as  if  she  had  been  expecting  him. 

The  house  was  a  large  one,  with  spacious  rooms 
opening  into  one  another,  and  broad  mirrors  in  vari 
ous  places,  so  disposed  as  apparently  to  extend  the 
already  ample  vistas.  This  necessitated  a  certain 
amount  of  circumspection  on  the  part  of  those  who 
sought  for  prhacy,  —  lest  a  deed  done  in  the  back 
drawing-room,  for  instance,  should  be  visible  on  the 
front  staircase.  Mr.  Peekskill,  after  having  shaken 
hands  ceremoniously  with  his  pretty  young  hostess, 
walked  into  an  alcove  of  the  library,  and  when  she 
had  followed  him  there,  he  turned,  took  her  lightly 
by  the  shoulders,  and  kissed  her. 

"  Say,  Liz,  how  would  that  do  for  the  first  figure 


"7S   THAT  ALL?"  89 

in  the  german?"  he  said,  pressing  her  arms,  and 
smiling  at  her. 

"  You  promised  to  write  to  me  day  before  yester 
day,"  returned  she,  twisting  her  taper  finger  in  his 
watch-chain.  "I've  been  looking  ever  since." 

"  We'll  have  to  stop  that ;  'taint  safe  any 
longer." 

"  Tom  !  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  The  old  gentleman  suspects  something ;  anyhow 
he's  on  the  look-out." 

"  But  you  always  said  that  he  wouldn't  mind  if  he 
did  know  "  — 

"Yes,  my  dear,  and  that  was  all  right,  then," 
said  Tom,  seating  himself  on  a  small  lounge,  and 
drawing  her  down  beside  him ;  "  but  then  and  now 
are  different ;  and  things  isn't  like  they  used  to  was. 
Excuse  my  French  !  " 

"But,  Tom,  don't  be  stupid;  what  is  it?  You 
are  only  making  fun,  aren't  you?" 

"Liz,  I'm  giving  it  to  you  straight.  Say,  do 
you  love  me?  Honor  bright?" 

She  folded  her  hands  in  her  lap,  and  looked  at 
him  with  an  expression  that  her  father  had  never 
seen  in  her  girlish  face,  though  she  loved  him  too. 
"You  are  very  unkind,"  she  said.  "How  could  I 
ever  love  anybody  but  you,  Tom?  " 


90  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"Well,"  replied  he,  "  Pve  got  a  rival,  anyhow." 

"A  rival  ?     Do  I  know  him  ?  " 

Tom  chuckled.  "  Yes,  I  guess  you  do  ;  but  the 
point  is,  your  father  knows  him  too,  and  what's 
more,  he's  backing  him  up  !  How  does  that  find 
you?" 

"  I  wish  you'd  tell  me  what  you're  talking  about  ?  " 

"Well,  I'm  going  to;  and,  mind  you,  Liz,  this 
is  serious.  Perhaps  you  may  not  have  noticed  who 
sat  beside  you  at  dinner  the  other  day?  No,  I  don't 
mean  O'Ryan ;  he  was  on  the  other  side.  Warren 
Bell  is  the  man  I  mean  ;  and  don't  you  forget  it !  " 

"Why,  Tom,  you  must  be  crazy!  I'd  as  soon 
think  of  falling  in  love  with  —  with  that  horrid 
little  Mr.  Wiston  —  or  —  anybody  !  " 

"  But,  unfortunately,  my  love,  it  isn't  about  fall 
ing  in  love  that  we  are  talking  ;  it's  about  marrying. 
And  Warren  Bell  is  the  man  your  father  means  you 
to  marry." 

"  I  don't  believe  it !     How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"Tom  PeekskilPs  no  fool,  my  dear;  he  knows 
when  the  wind  changes.  This  thing  has  been 
coming  over  the  old  gentleman  for  some  time  back. 
I  used  to  think  his  looking  after  Bell  was  only  to 
square  some  old  accounts  with  Bell's  father,  who 
was  a  friend  of  his ;  but,  however  that  may  have 


«7#   THAT  ALL?"  91 

been,  there's  more  in  it  now.  He's  taken  hold  of 
Bell,  and  he's  going  to  ring  him  for  all  he's  worth. 
He's  going  to  give  him  the  front  place  in  all  the 
new  schemes  that  are  under  way,  and  he'll  end  up 
by  taking  him  into  the  family  as  the  husband  of 
Lizzie  Dray  ton." 

All  this  was  so  novel  and  incredible  to  Lizzie, 
and  was  at  the  same  time  announced  by  Tom  with 
so  much  assurance,  that  she  felt  equally  disposed  to 
laugh  and  to  cry.  Her  imagination,  without  being 
in  the  least  profound,  was  lively  and  susceptible, 
and  she  saw  herself  being  torn  from  her  lover's 
arms  and  forced  into  wedlock  with  a  man  whose 
face  she  scarcely  knew.  But  then  she  reflected  that 
her  father  had  never  been  other  than  indulgent  to 
wards  her,  and  the  conviction  that  the  whole  idea 
was  a  delusion  returned  to  her. 

"Besides,"  she  exclaimed,  coming  out  of  her 
troubled  meditations  with  a  triumphant  air,  "  how 
do  you  know  that  Mr.  Bell  cares  for  me  ?  He  never 
acted  as  if  he  did." 

But  at  this  Tom  Peekskill  laughed  so  heartily  that 
Lizzie  began  to  laugh  too,  under  the  impression  that 
she  must  have  said  something  witty. 

"Oh,  my  wig!"  cried  he  at  last;  "here  am  I 
living  all  my  life  in  New  York,  and  thought  I  knew 


92  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

a  thing  or  two,  and  I  never  once  thought  of  that ! 
Look  here,  Liz,  being  educated  in  a  French  con 
vent  has  made  you  too  wise  !  Say,  you  dear  little 
goose,  did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that  being  the  pretti 
est  girl  in  New  York  is  one  thing,  and  all  very  well 
in  its  way,  but  that  being  the  biggest  heiress  this 
side  the  llocky  Mountains  is  a  horse  of  another  color 
entirely?  Why,  if  Warren  Bell  was  a  Roman 
Catholic  cardinal,  with  six  wives,  and  seventy  years 
old,  he'd  kill  'em  all  and  abjure  his  religion  for  the 
sake  of  getting  you  !  Don't  you  make  any  mistake  ! 
If  a  man  tells  you  he  loves  you,  you  may  believe  him 
or  not  as  you  choose ;  but  if  he  says  he  wants  to 
marry  you  —  if  he  was  the  Father  of  Lies  himself  — 
you  may  bet  your  life  he's  giving  you  the  straight 
tip  as  much  as  if  he  was  the  Angel  Gabriel ! " 

"Then,  if  my  money's  so  much,  how  do  I  know 
whether  you  love  me  ? "  demanded  Lizzie  with  a 
quaver  in  her  voice,  and  tears  in  her  golden  eyes. 

"  I  don't  know  how  you  know  it,"  replied  Tom 
with  great  presence  of  mind,  "  but  I  know  you  do 
know  it ;  and  for  all  I  care,  your  father  might  bust 
up  to-morrow,  and  you  never  come  into  a  red  cent. 
But  we  settled  all  that  Jong  ago,"  he  added,  putting 
his  arm  round  her  waist.  "The  problem  is  now, 
how  to  euchre  Mr.  Warren  Bell." 


"IS  THAT  ALLf"  93 

"  What  has  made  papa  take  such  a  fancy  to 
him?"  Lizzie  asked,  with  a  feeling  of  comfortable 
reliance  on  her  lover's  arm,  and,  derivatively,  on  his 
wisdom. 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,  there's  more  reasons  that  one. 
Warren  is  a  clever  fellow,  and  he  hasn't  got  himself 
mixed  up  in  any  scrape  yet,  —  isn't  mortgaged  to 
anybody,  don't  you  see?  Your  father  has  some 
pretty  big  schemes  in  his  head,  and  he  needs  some 
body  to  help  him  put  'em  through  —  somebody  who 
doesn't  know  too  much  of  the  ropes  (as  I  do,  for  in 
stance),  and  who'll  just  go  in  bald-headed,  without 
minding  the  consequences.  That's  Warren  all  over  ; 
he'd  slip  up  mighty  quick,  if  he  was  left  to  himself; 
but  with  somebody  to  look  out  for  him,  and  steer  him, 
he  could  be  a  pretty  strong  card.  Now,  I've  got  my 
own  notions  of  what  I  want  to  do,  and  how  I  want 
to  do  it ;  and  I  won't  take  orders  from  any  man  be 
yond  a  certain  point ;  and  the  old  gentleman  knows 
that  just  as  well  as  I  do,  —  worse  luck  for  me  ! 
That's  why  I  can't  ask  him  to  let  me  marry  you." 

"  But  he  lets  you  manage  all  his  affairs,  doesn't 
he?" 

"Just  as  he  lets  a  train  of  cars  carry  him  to 
Boston  or  Chicago  :  he  knows  where  he  wants  to 
go,  and  he  takes  care  that  he  gets  there ;  but  he 


94  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

doesn't  want  the  bother  of  walking.  But  if  he  was 
to  find  out  what  you  and  I  were  up  to  —  bang !  No 
more  tete-a-tetes  and  germans  for  us  I " 

"  But  he'll  have  to  find  it  out  some  time,  won't  he, 
Tom?" 

"  Yes  ;  but  not  while  this  Warren-Bell  craze  is  on 
him,  my  dear.  And,  meantime,  we've  got  to  be 
extra  careful.  You  see,  as  long  as  he  doesn't 
suspect  me  he  won't  cram  Warren  down  your 
throat  too  hard  ;  but  let  him  once  get  that  idea  in 
his  head,  and  he'd  whisk  you  off  to  the  church  in  no 
time  !  " 

"  You  talk  of  me  as  if  I  were  a  bandbox  ! "  ex 
claimed  Lizzie,  indignantly.  "  What  if  I  were  to 
say  I  wouldn't  be  whisked  off  with  anybody, — 
except  you  ?  " 

"  Ah  I  "  returned  Tom,  shaking  his  head,  gloomily. 
"  You  might  say  it ;  and  I  expect  that's  all  you 
could  do,  —  you'd  be  Mrs.  Bell  all  the  same." 

"I'll  never  be  any  such  hateful  thing  !  "  she  cried, 
with  quivering  mouth  ;  "  and  if  I  can't  be  what  I 
want,  I  won't  be  anybody  !  " 

"You  don't  know  your  father,"  continued  Tom, 
in  the  same  sombre  tone ;  "  you  haven't  seen  him 
down-town,  among  the  fellows  on  the  street.  I 
have ;  and  I  tell  you  he's  a  hard  one  when  he's  a 


"IS   THAT  ALL?"  95 

mind  to  be  !  Nobody  can  do  anything  with  him. 
He's  bound  to  boss  things,  —  and  he  lets  'em  know 
it  once  in  a  while.  It's  all  very  well  as  long  as 
things  go  his  way ;  but  if  he  runs  into  anything,  it's 
got  to  go!  Why,  that  man,  Liz, — he'll  run  this 
whole  country  yet,  if  they're  not  careful !  He'a 
studied  the  whole  thing  out ;  and,  easy  as  he  looks, 
there's  more  gall  in  his  little  finger  than  in  a  dozen 
ordinary  men.  He'd  have  you  settled  quicker  than 
a  steam-engine  would  knock  over  a  ninepin  ! " 

"  Do  you  mean  you're  going  to  let  me  be  —  be 
done  anything  to?"  asked  Lizzie,  beginning  to  be 
terrified  by  these  forebodings  of  disaster. 

"  If  I  could  do  what  I'd  like  to  do,  we'd  be  all 
right,"  replied  Tom,  caressing  his  jawbone  with  the 
tips  of  his  fingers.  "  But  you  wouldn't  want  that." 

"  What  ?     What  wouldn't  I  want,  Tom  ?  " 

"  No ;  and  I  should  have  no  right  to  ask  you  to 
do  it,"  continued  he,  as  if  talking  to  himself. 
"  After  all,  if  he  didn't  come  round,  where  would 
you  be?" 

"Tom!" 

"  Better  let  it  alone,  and  trust  to  luck.  But  if 
you  only  would —  ? — well,  my  dear,  it's  getting 
late,  and  "  — 

"Tom,  I  declare,  if  you  don't  answer  me,  I'll  tell 


96  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

papa  the  whole  thing  the  first  minute  I  see  him, 
and  let  him  do  his  worst !  " 

"Don't  do  that,  whatever  you  do  !  "  exclaimed  he, 
hastily.  "  There's  a  better  way  than  that,  though  I 
don't  like  to  propose  it  to  you." 

"  You'd  better  tell  me  !  You'll  find  I'm  not  so 
much  a  child  as  you  think." 

He  got  to  his  feet  with  an  impulsive  air,  and  she 
rose  with  him. 

"  Hang  me  if  I  don't,  then  ! "  he  said ;  "  and  if 
you  don't  like  it,  remember  it's  your  fault.  This'll 
prove  how  much  you  care  for  me,  anyhow.  Say, 
Liz,  you  know  I  can't  live  without  you ;  and  if  I'm 
not  to  have  you,  I'd  as  well  know  it  now  as  any 
time.  Your  father  wouldn't  consent  to  our  mar 
riage,  and  he'd  make  you  marry  Warren  Bell,  if 
your  saying  you  wouldn't  were  all  that  stood  in  the 
way.  But  you  can  checkmate  him  in  one  way, 
and  only  one  way,  —  if  you  choose." 

She  looked  up  at  him,  holding  him  by  the  lapels 
of  his  coat,  and  biting  her  under  lip. 

"  He  can  break  your  will  easy  enough ;  but 
there's  one  thing  he  can't  break,  not  if  he  were 
twice  the  man  he  is  ;  and  that's  the  law  of  the  realm. 
And  if  we  have  the  law  on  our  side,  we've  got 
him." 


"IS  THAT  ALL?"  97 

"Well?" 

"  Well  —  suppose,  one  of  these  fine  days,  we  ran 
off  and  got  married,  without  asking  leave  of  any 
body?  He  couldn't  part  man  and  wife,  and  there 
we'd  be." 

She  let  her  hands  fall,  and  an  expression  almost 
of  disappointment  came  over  her  charming  face. 
For  a  moment,  Tom  thought  he  had  gone  too  far, 
and  was  preparing  to  retreat  under  cover  of  some 
joke  ;  but  his  mistake  had  been  of  a  different  kind. 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  she  exclaimed  half  incredulously. 
"Why,  you  stupid  boy,  I  thought  you  were  going  to 
say  something  awful.  As  if  any  girl  in  New  York 
wouldn't  run  away  if  she  got  a  chance  !  If  I'd  been 
a  man,  I'd  have  proposed  it  half  an  hour  ago  !  " 

"  She's  a  chip  of  the  old  block,  after  all !  "  mur 
mured  Tom  to  himself,  as  he  took  her  in  his  arms 
and  kissed  her.  "  And  a  Boston  girl,  too  !  " 


98  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

CHAMPIONS    OF   REFORM. 

MR.  TERENCE  O'RYAN,  the  good-looking  young 
Irish  contractor,  gave  Bell  a  good  deal  of  his  com 
pany  during  the  latter's  first  visits  to  the  line  of  the 
new  water-works.  There  was  no  great  difference 
between  them  in  the  matter  of  age,  and  that  little 
was  fully  counterbalanced  by  the  buoyancy  of  the 
Hibernian  temperament.  Mr.  O'Ryan  was  a  self- 
made  man,  and  his  handiwork  already  did  him 
credit ;  yet  he  considered  himself  to  be  only  on  the 
first  steps  of  the  ladder  he  meant  to  climb.  "  Some 
say,"  he  remarked,  "that  the  divil —  God  rest  him  ! 
—  invented  politics.  If  he  did,  faith,  'twas  a 
mighty  genteel  act ;  and  if  ever  he  wants  a  good 
word,  Terence  O'Ryan's  the  man  to  speak  it  for 
him ! "  Politics,  he  went  on  to  explain,  was,  for 
the  poor  man,  the  royal  road  to  wealth  and  power. 
More  than  anything  else  it  tended  to  obliterate  in 
jurious  social  distinctions.  In  other  countries  than 
America  it  could  hardly  be  said  to  exist ;  at  all 
events  it  was  the  appanage  of  the  great,  and  was 


CHAMPIONS   OF  REFORM.  99 

applied  mainly  to  the  suppression  of  the  masses, 
which  was  reversing  its  true  function.  "  Look  at 
me  ! "  added  the  speaker,  slapping  his  broad  chest. 
"  Where  would  I  be  to-day  but  for  politics  ?  Sure 
I'd  be  touching  my  cap  to  the  same  men  that  are 
now  coolin'  their  heels  every  morning  in  me  ante 
chamber,  waitin'  to  ax  me  a  favor  !  " 

"Then  you  prefer  politics  to  d-dynamite?"  said 
Warren. 

"Well,  now,"  replied  Terence,  "I'll  not  be 
deny  in'  that  dynamite  is  a  nice  domestic  utensil  to 
have  handy  if  a  man  must  live  in  the  ould  contree ; 
but,  in  the  Land  of  the  Free,  me  dear  boy,  I  carry 
my  dynamite  in  my  brain.  There's  no  flash-in-the- 
pan  about  it,  for  one  thing ;  and  it  removes  all 
obstacles  without  either  noise  or  mortality." 

"And  you  think  politics  is  the  best  business  a 
man  can  turn  his  brains  to  ?  " 

:f  'Tis  the  business  of  businesses  I  *  returned  the 
other,  sententiously. 

"Politics  is  a  humbug,"  said  Warren.  "It 
pretends  to  benefit  the  people,  and  it  only  benefits 
the  p-politicians." 

"  Then  who's  to  prevent  the  people  being  poli 
ticians  too  ;  so  we'll  all  be  happy  together  ?  "  rejoined 
the  Irishman,  with  a  wink. 


100  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  water-works  job  ? " 
Warren  inquired.  "  Is  there  any  politics  about 
that?" 

"D'ye  see  that  pond  over  there?"  replied  Terence, 
pointing  with  his  cigar  to  a  small  sheet  of  water  at 
the  base  of  the  hill  on  which  they  were  standing. 
"Well,  Mr.  Bell,  if  I  was  to  tell  ye  there  was  as 
much  politics  in  this  job  as  there  is  water  in  that 
pond,  it  'ud  be  just  the  truth,  and  no  less.  Look 
ye  here,  me  dear  friend :  there's  that  ould  thief, 
Sprayne,  —  no  offence  to  him, — up  at  Albany; 
wasn't  he  bringin'  in  three  separate  bills  before  the 
Legislature,  at  three  separate  times,  each  one  with 
no  harm  in  the  world  in  it,  like  the  component  parts 
of  gunpowder,  but  put  'em  together,  and  —  bang  ! 
There  we  are  with  our  charter  as  safe  as  if  'twas  in 
our  pockets.  Is  there  any  politics  about  that,  I 
don't  know?  For  me  own  part,  bein'  a  modest 
man,  I  say  nothing ;  only,  if  any  man  tells  you  that 
another  than  Terence  O'Eyan  could  have  rigged  the 
politics  that'll  carry  some  pipes  through  New  York 
streets,  ye  may  tell  him  he's  a  liar,  and  refer  him  to 
me  for  satisfaction  ! " 

"  And  Dray  ton,  —  what  of  him?  " 

"Drayton's  a  big  man  —  there's  no  denyin'  that !  " 
said  Mr.  O'Ryan,  twisting  his  mustaches.  :t  'Tis  not 


CHAMPIONS  OF  REFORM.  101 

the  money  he's  after ;  nor  distinction  neither,  —  at 
least,  not  the  same  way  as  the  rest  of  us.  He's  a 
deep  one,  and  no  mistake  ;  and  what  his  game  is, 
is  none  of  my  business.  I  see  my  own  share  of  the 
swag  plain  enough ;  but  he  may  do  as  he  likes." 

"You  will  be  paid  for  your  work,  of  course ;  but 
this  thing  is  no  steal ;  it's  to  give  water  to  the  city 
at  fair  rates." 

"  Well,  that's  true,  too,"  assented  the  other,  nod 
ding  his  head  sagaciously ;  "  and  may  the  city  never 
be  without  a  drop  of  good  whiskey  to  put  in  it ! " 

Warren  Bell  discounted  a  good  deal  of  this  kind 
of  talk  on  the  score  of  the  picturesque  and  imagi 
native  instincts  of  the  Irish  character.  He  felt  sure 
that  O'Eyan,  say  what  he  might,  would  never  do  a 
dirty  act  when  it  came  to  the  point.  No  doubt,  any 
conceivable  scheme  would  be  open  to  abuses  from 
the  evil-disposed ;  but  it  was  no  less  certain  that 
this  enterprise  of  Drayton's  would  overthrow  a  mon 
strous  monopoly,  and  introduce  a  cleaner  order  of 
things.  It  was  well  to  be  identified  with  such  a 
movement,  even  though  one's  associates  might  be 
something  less  than  immaculate.  The  river  that 
cleanses  Augean  stables  must  expect  to  contract 
some  temporary  defilement. 

But,   though  there   was    something  in  O'Ryan's 


102  LOVE  —  OR  A  NAME. 

personal  equation  which  made  Warren  like  him,  he 
was  less  charitable  in  the  case  of  some  of  the  other 
members  of  the  syndicate.  There  was  Mr.  Callby, 
the  inventor,  for  instance.  Warren  had  an  inter 
view  with  him  one  day,  in  reference  to  his  water- 
pipes,  which  were  warranted  never  to  leak  or  other 
wise  get  out  of  order.  The  device  was  undeniably 
ingenious  and  effective,  and  also  very  simple ;  but 
Mr.  Callby  himself  struck  his  visitor  as  being  less 
lovely  than  his  invention.  Warren  happened  to 
inquire  what  he  expected  to  receive  for  the  use  of 
his  patent,  and  heard  a  sum  mentioned  that  caused 
him  to  put  on  his  eye-glasses  and  thrust  out  his 
chin. 

"Why,  man  alive  !  "  he  exclaimed,  w  the  repairs 
of  the  ordinary  pipes  for  fifty  years  wouldn't  amount 
to  a  tenth  of  that.  Wh-what  sort  of  economy  do 
you  call  that?" 

Mr.  Callby  laughed,  shaking  his  portly  sides 
softly,  and  nearly  losing  his  teeth  in  his  merriment. 
"We  inventors,"  he  explained,  "favor  the  maxim 
that  charity  begins  at  home.  The  world  is  certain 
to  profit  by  our  discoveries  in  the  end ;  but,  the 
duration  of  an  individual  life  being  strictly  limited, 
we  must  —  ha  !  ha  !  —  make  our  hay  while  our 
individual  sun  shines.  In  other  words,  we  make  all 


CHAMPIONS  OF  REFORM.  103 

we  can  out  of  our  contemporaries,  but  impose  no 
restrictions  upon  posterity." 

"  Very  good,  if  your  contemporaries  understand 
what  bargain  they  are  making.  But  do  you  mean 
to  tell  me  that  the  public  would  accept  your  pipes, 
if  they  knew  what  they  were  paying  for  them  ?  " 

"  Ha !  ha  !  very  possibly  not.  But  that  is  the 
advantage  of  a  public,  my  dear  sir ;  it  never  does 
know;  and,  to  be  serious,  it  never  cares.  In  those 
facts  lies  its  infinite  superiority  to  the  wealthiest 
private  customer.  The  American  people,  Mr.  Bell, 
—  you  may  take  my  word  for  it,  and  it  is  an  im 
portant  truth  to  bear  in  mind,  —  never  cares,  and 
never  will  care,  for  economy.  Congress  has  its 
economical  spasms,  of  course,  —  when  it  has  a 
particularly  big  robbery  on  foot ;  just  as  a  pick 
pocket  will  restore  you  a  five-cent  piece  that  you've 
dropped,  in  order  the  more  unsuspectedly  to  relieve 
you  of  a  hundred-dollar  greenback.  The  individual 
American,  again,  is  often  economical ;  a  man  will 
walk  up  town  from  his  place  of  business  to 
save  car-fare,  and  spend  a  dollar  or  two  in  drinks 
along  the  way.  But  the  American  people,  once  it 
takes  a  fancy  to  a  thing,  —  from  a  Brooklyn  bridge 
to  a  civil  war,  —  is  going  to  have  it,  if  it  taxes 
itself  twenty-five  cents  on  a  dollar.  And  then, 


104  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

the  higher  you  put  the  price,  the  more  likely  you 
are  to  get   it." 

"  All  that  doesn't  prevent  robbery  from  being  rob 
bery,"  said  Warren,  bluntly. 

"What  am  I  to  understand  by  that,  sir?"  de 
manded  Callby,  sticking  out  his  lips. 

"  You  may  understand  what  you  like  ! "  retorted 
Warren,  angrily ;  "  but  what  I  understand  is,  that 
you  are  swindling  the  city.  And  I'll  d-do  what  I 
can  to  stop  it !  " 

Callby's  forehead  reddened ;  but,  for  whatever 
reason,  he  controlled  himself  after  a  few  moments, 
and  said  with  dignity,  "  Mr.  Bell,  I  am  not  respon 
sible  to  you  for  my  business  arrangements.  The 
market  value  of  an  idea  is  never  less  than  it  will 
fetch.  As  regards  the  sum  of  money  I  have  men 
tioned  to  you  (and  I  may  remark  that  the  statement 
was  made  under  the  impression  that  I  was  speaking 
to  a  gentleman  of  honor,  who  could  appreciate  the 
sacredness  of  a  business  confidence),  —  as  regards 
this  sum,  I  say,  I  have  consented  to  receive  the  bulk 
of  it  in  bonds  of  the  company.  I  am,  therefore,  sell 
ing  my  birthright  for  what  may  after  all  prove  to  be 
but  a  mess  of  pottage  ;  for  the  combination  on  the 
other  side  may  beat  us  yet." 

"  In  which  case  you  would  go  over  to  them,  bag 


CHAMPIONS  OF  REFORM.  105 

and  baggage,"  said  Warren,  only  this  time  he  did 
not  utter  the  words  aloud.  He  perceived  that,  once 
again,  he  had  lost  his  temper  to  no  purpose.  The 
security  of  men  like  Callhy  was  in  the  fact  that, 
however  insignificant  or  contemptible  they  might  be 
in  themselves,  they  represented,  in  some  sort,  the  spirit 
of  the  age ;  they  were  in  accord  with  the  popular, 
or,  at  least,  permitted  ways  of  doing  and  regarding 
things.  It  was  not  this  or  the  other  particular  in 
dividual,  therefore,  upon  whom  the  reformer  must 
apply  his  pressure ;  he  must  first  create  a  revulsion 
or  improvement  in  the  current  sentiment  and  custom. 
His  reflections  upon  these  matters  inclined  Warren 
to  think  that  Drayton  held  broader  and  sounder  views 
concerning  them  than  his  own.  He  had  postponed 
the  attack  upon  persons  to  that  upon  systems ;  and 
for  Warren  to  prosecute  a  guerilla  warfare  on  his 
own  account  would  probably  be  worse  than  useless. 
He  needed  experience,  and,  more  than  all,  he  needed 
power.  Drayton  possessed  both,  perhaps  in  an  even 
greater  degree  than  Warren  had  as  yet  given  him 
credit  for.  All  the  same,  it  was  difficult  to  refrain 
from  denouncing  a  scoundrel  when  you  met  him. 

Meanwhile  the  scheme  itself  prospered.  The 
wheels  were  oiled,  and  ran  smoothly,  and  several 
things  which  wore  the  superficial  appearance  of 


106  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

obstacles  proved  in  the  end  to  have  an  effect  pre 
cisely  opposite.  A  newspaper,  for  example,  would 
make  a  bitter  attack  upon  some  feature  of  the  enter 
prise,  and  by  and  by  this  very  feature  would  turn 
out  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  praiseworthy 
of  all ;  and  a  merely  passive  acceptance  of  the 
measure  would  thus  be  intensified  into  active  sym 
pathy  with  unjust  persecution.  Or,  again,  a  depu 
tation  would  wait  upon  the  mayor  to  obtain  his 
consent  to  some  step,  and  the  mayor  would  severely 
criticise  the  application.  The  deputation  would 
retire  abashed ;  but,  within  a  few  days  or  weeks, 
evidence  would  be  forthcoming,  in  some  inadver 
tent,  unexpected  way,  which  would  cause  the  official 
to  withdraw  his  animadversions,  and  to  express 
regret  at  having  been  misled  in  regard  to  so  estima 
ble  a  proposal.  Hereupon,  the  mayor  would  be 
commended  for  acknowledging  an  error  in  the  inter 
ests  of  reform,  and  the  reform  itself  would  shine  all 
the  brighter. 

In  none  of  these  episodes  did  Drayton  appear. 
His  name  was  never  mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  scheme,  and  no  one  outside  of  the  syndicate 
seemed  to  have  the  least  suspicion  that  he  was  even 
remotely  involved  in  it.  Even  the  syndicate  saw 
nothing  of  him  in  an  official  capacity.  Had  they 


CHAMPIONS   OF  REFORM.  107 

been  called  to  the  witness-stand,  most  of  them  could 
only  have  testified  that  if  funds  were  needed  they 
were  always  forthcoming ;  that  if  instructions  were 
required,  they  were  conveyed  to  the  proper  quarter  ; 
and  that  the  movement  of  affairs  was  regulated  and 
directed  by  a  consistent  and  constant  purpose. 
They  might  have  added  that,  to  the  best  of  their 
belief,  this  power  in  the  background  was  Seth 
Drayton ;  but  they  could  hardly  have  stated  as 
much  on  oath.  Still  less  could  they  have  assigned 
any  plausible  reason  for  this  reticence  on  his  part. 
All  the  more  did  it  affect  their  imaginations  (an 
almost  invariable  attribute  of  Americans  in  every 
walk  of  life),  and  strengthen  Dray  ton's  control. 
They  understood  themselves,  but  not  him  ;  and  the 
familiar  principle  of  omne  ignotum  pro  magnifico 
probably  had  its  application  in  their  case. 

Warren  Bell  alone  had  been,  in  any  important 
degree,  admitted  to  Drayton's  confidence ;  but  the 
revelation  was  as  yet  too  incomplete,  and  Warren 
too  unprepared  for  its  full  reception,  for  him  to 
have  gained  a  substantial  comprehension  of  Drayton's 
attitude.  Tom  Peekskill,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
vastly  more  knowing  than  Warren  ;  but  his  positive 
information  was  less.  His  native  penetration  had 
served  him  somewhat,  however ;  and  he  had,  be- 


108  LOVE—  OR  A  NAME. 

sides,  a  source  of  knowledge  which,  though  not  yet 
very  affluent,  might  be  trained  to  become  so ;  and 
which  had  the  valuable  quality  of  being  wholly  un 
suspected  by  Drayton.     He  could  never  have  con 
ceived  of  his  daughter   in   the  light   of  a   spy  and 
intriguer ;  and  he  despised  Tom  Peekskill  too  pro 
foundly  to  dream  that  he  would  venture  to  establish 
relations  with  Lizzie.     Events  had,  indeed,  occurred 
between  the  two  men,  which  placed  Tom  completely 
in    Drayton's    power,  —  at   least,    to    all    ordinary 
intents  and  purposes.     What  Drayton  commanded, 
Tom  must  do,  under  pain  of  social  and  professional 
extinction.     But,  though  it  is  often  convenient   to 
make  a  shrewd  and  ready  man  your  bondslave,  the 
convenience  is    not  always  a  safe  one.     There  are 
weak  points  in  almost  every  armor  ;  and  no  one  is  so 
likely  as  a  shrewd  and  ready  bondslave  to  find  them 
out  and  take  advantage  of  them.     Drayton,  indeed, 
was  not  so  unwise  as  to  drive  any  man  to  despera 
tion.     In  return  for  depriving  Tom  of  his  liberty, 
he  gave  him  what  it  was  reasonable  to  suppose  he 
most  valued,  —  ample    opportunities    of   making   a 
large  income.     But,    possibly,    he   under-estimated 
the  strange  infatuation  for  liberty  which  even  men 
like  Tom  will  manifest,  especially  when  it  can  be 
combined  with  the  passion  for  retaliation. 


CHAMPIONS   OF  REFORM.  109 

It  is  no  wonder,  however,  if  he  gave  less  than 
adequate  attention  to  the  matter  at  this  moment. 
For  the  new  water-works  scheme  had  now  reached 
that  point  of  development  where  it  came  into  direct 
and  open  collision  with  the  monopoly  which  it  aimed 
to  overthrow ;  and  the  monopoly  arose  in  all  its 
strength  to  meet  the  emergency.  Dray  ton  possessed 
the  advantage  (among  others)  of  having  foreseen 
and  calculated  upon  all  contingencies  beforehand  ; 
and  he  entered  into  the  conflict  with  a  cool  brain 
and  a  steady  hand. 


110  LOVE—  OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  X. 

GETTING   EDUCATED. 

SEVERAL  of  the  main  bulwarks  of  the  old  order 
of  things  were  members  of  the  commission  of  the 
Compensation  Fund,  of  which  Dray  ton  was  chair 
man.  These  men  had  hitherto  regarded  the  new 
scheme  with  a  comfortable  contempt.  None  of  the 
persons  who  were  publicly  known  as  its  supporters 
had  any  particular  weight  or  reputation,  social  or 
political.  The  enterprise  was  assumed  to  have  been 
started  with  no  more  serious  purpose  than  that  of 
inducing  the  holders  of  the  monopoly  to  buy  it  up  ; 
but  it  had  not  shown  enough  signs  of  vitality  to 
make  even  this  worth  while.  It  was  an  amusing 
piece  of  impudence,  and  nothing  more.  "It's  a 
sign  of  the  prosperity  of  the  country,"  said  old 
Judge  Muhlbach,  who  was  a  humorist,  "  that  a  set 
of  men  can  get  up  a  swindle,  not  expecting  it  to 
succeed,  but  just  for  the  fun  of  it !  "  All  of  a  sud 
den,  however,  the  amusing  impudence  assumed  an 
aspect  of  threatening  earnestness.  The  first  hasty 
and  somewhat  haughty  overtures  for  an  "arranger 


GETTING  EDUCATED.  Ill 

ment "  were  summarily  rejected ;  indications  of 
wholly  unsuspected  strength  and  resources  appeared 
on  all  sides  ;  and  Judge  Muhlbach's  party,  much  to 
their  astonishment,  found  themselves  in  a  serious 
embarrassment.  The  worst  of  it  was  that  they 
were  at  a  loss  to  imagine  who  their  real  opponent 
could  be. 

The  Judge,  however,  was  accounted  (not  without 
reason)  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  influential  men 
in  New  York  politics ;  and  his  friends,  despite  the 
gloomy  outlook,  relied  confidently  on  his  delivering 
them  from  their  predicament.  In  this  conjuncture 
it  became  a  subject  of  grave  speculation  to  Warren 
what  Dray  ton  would  do.  Dray  ton  and  the  Judge 
had  always  been  on  friendly  terms,  and  the  Com 
pensation  Fund  was  an  institution  without  the 
countenance  of  which  the  new  water-works  could 
not  receive  its  final  consecration.  One  of  two  alter 
natives,  therefore,  seemed  inevitable :  either  the 
consecration  in  question  would  be  wanting,  or  else 
Drayton  must  descend  to  a  dissimulation  and  trick 
ery  in  which  it  would  require  more  than  all  of  War 
ren's  hardly-acquired  toleration  to  support  him. 

Warren  had  been  absent  from  New  York  nearly  a 
week,  superintending  the  last  details  of  the  survey ; 
and  during  this  time  he  had  had  no  communication 


112  LOVE— OR  A    NAME. 

either  with  Dray  ton  or  any  others  of  the  syndicate. 
On  the  morning  of  his  return  he  called  at  Drayton's 
house  to  make  his  report.  Drayton  greeted  him 
with  the  quiet  and  frank  affection  which  he  had 
always  manifested  towards  the  young  man  since 
their  memorable  interview. 

When  Warren's  business  was  concluded  Drayton 
(who  was  seated  at  the  broad  writing-table  in  his 
library)  said,  "Now,  then,  the  campaign  begins." 

"I  don't  envy  you  your  part,"  said  Warren. 

Drayton  smiled  slowly,  and  stroked  his  long 
beard.  He  took  up  a  newspaper  from  the  table, 
unfolded  it,  and  handed  it  to  Warren,  indicating  a 
particular  column.  Warren  took  it,  and  read  the 
head-line,  —  "  Mr.  Drayton  Retires  from  the  Com 
pensation  Fund." 

"  Look  it  over  while  I  write  a  letter,"  said  Dray 
ton,  taking  up  his  pen,  and  turning  away. 

Warren  read  on.  It  was  an  "  interview "  with 
Mr.  Drayton,  and  nearly  filled  the  column.  The 
following  passages  may  be  quoted  :  — 

Reporter.  Is  it  true,  Mr.  Drayton,  that  you  have  resigned 
from  the  Compensation  Fund  Commission? 

Mr.  Drayton.  I  have  severed  my  connection  with  that 
body. 

R.     What  were  your  reasons  for  that  step? 


GETTING  EDUCATED.  113 

Mr.  D.  A  belief  that  the  public  interest  would  be  served 
thereby. 

R.  Did  you  have  any  disagreement  with  your  colleagues, 
or  with  any  one  of  them? 

Mr.  D.  I  became  convinced  of  my  inability  to  act  in  har 
mony  with  them. 

R.  "Was  this  conviction  of  general  or  of  specific  applica 
tion? 

Mr.  D.  I  cannot  fully  reply  to  that  question.  I  may  say, 
however,  that,  had  my  construction  of  the  attitude  of  the  com 
mission  been  the  same  formerly  that  it  is  now,  I  should  have 
retired  earlier. 

R.  I  may  take  it,  then,  that  your  action  is  based  upon  cer 
tain  revelations  that  have  recently  come  to  your  knowledge. 
What  are  those  revelations? 

Mr.  D.     I  must  decline  to  tell  you. 

R.  Are  your  relations  with  any  particular  member  of  the 
commission  more  strained  than  with  the  rest? 

Mr.  D.  In  the  event  of  a  test-vote,  I  should  probably  have 
stood  alone.  But,  in  a  body  of  that  kind,  some  one  man  will 
generally  represent  and,  in  a  measure,  control  the  views  of  the 
others. 

R.  May  not  this  be  construed  as  a  reference  to  Judge 
Muhlbach? 

Mr.  D.  I  must  distinctly  refuse  to  be  drawn  into  any  men 
tion  of  names.  .  .  . 

R.  How  came  you  to  accept  the  chairmanship  of  this  com 
mission,  Mr.  Dray  ton  ? 

Mr.  D.  I  was  called  to  it  by  persons  of  credit  in  the  com 
munity. 

R.  Was  it  not  supposed  that  your  election  would  inspire 
public  confidence? 

Mr.  D.    There  may  possibly  have  been  some  such  motive. 


114  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

R.  Did  you  receive  any  remuneration  for  your  services, 
pecuniary  or  otherwise? 

Mr.  D.    None  whatever. 

R.  Do  you  consider  that  you  were  used  by  the  commission 
as  a  cloak  to  divert  suspicion  from  their  proceedings,  —  of  course 
without  your  knowledge? 

Mr.  D.  You  must  permit  me  to  maintain  reserve  upon  that 
point.  I  especially  desire  to  avoid  public  or  political  notoriety. 
As  one  of  the  largest  tax-payers  in  the  city,  I  have  wished,  it  is 
true,  not  to  shirk  my  fair  share  of  responsibility  in  municipal 
affairs;  but  office-holding,  in  any  shape,  is  irksome  to  me;  and, 
after  this  experience,  I  shall  certainly  never  be  induced  to  as 
sume  any  public  position  again.  .  .  . 

JR.  In  the  event  of  any  charges  being  perferred  against  your 
late  colleagues  would  you  go  upon  the  stand  against  them? 

Mr.  D.  Should  I  be  legally  cited  as  a  witness  I  must,  of 
course,  testify  according  to  my  conscience  and  belief.  But 
your  question  seems  to  me  unnecessary.  I  neither  desire  nor 
anticipate  any  such  contingency. 

R.  One  more  question,  Mr.  Drayton  :  are  you  in  favor  of  the 
new  water-works  scheme? 

Mr.  D.  So  far  as  I  know,  the  scheme  itself  is  good,  and 
should  enable  the  city  to  get  its  water  at  reasonable  rates.  But 
you  are  not  to  take  this  as  an  indorsement  of  the  parties  (who 
ever  they  may  be)  who  are  putting  the  scheme  into  effect.  As  I 
just  told  you,  my  late  experience  has  made  me  cautious.  I 
desire  to  advance  no  opinion  either  for  or  against  any  person 
whatever. 

"Well?"   said  Drayton,  looking   up    quietly,   as 
Warren  laid  down  the  newspaper. 

"  Well  —  is  it  genuine  ?  "  Warren  asked. 


GETTING  EDUCATED.  115 

"  It's  a  fairly  accurate  account  of  what  I  said." 
"But  not  necessarily  of  what  was  in  your  mind." 
"Not  of  all  that  was  in  my  mind,  certainly.     For 
instance,  I  said  that  my  retirement  was  due  to  a  new 
revelation  I  had  received  as  to  the  designs  of  the 
commission.     But  I  did  not  explain  that  I  was  my 
self  the  cause  of  this  revelation." 

"I  don't  think  I  c-catch  on,"  said  Warren,  drop 
ping  his  eye-glasses. 

"These  men,"  said  Dray  ton,  leaning  forward 
slightly  on  the  arm  of  his  chair,  "  have  believed  all 
along  that  they  were  bamboozling  me,  • —  that  they 
were  the  thimbleriggers,  and  I  the  dupe.  They 
thought  they  were  using  my  known  integrity  and 
character  as  a  screen  to  the  public  of  their  misdeeds. 
The  public  would  think  that  they  must  be  all  right, 
since  Dray  ton  was  their  chairman.  But,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  have  all  along  known  more  of  their  doings 
and  designs  than  most  of  themselves  know.  They 
bargained  for  a  blind  man,  and  they  got  an  Argus. 
Very  well.  The  moment  came  when  it  suited  my 
purposes  openly  to  break  with  them.  But,  in  doing 
this,  I  did  not  wish  them  to  suspect  that  I  had  seen 
through  them  from  the  first.  Therefore,  I  made  a 
test-case,  as  it  were.  I  feigned  to  discover  a  certain 
rascality,  of  which  I  had  long  been  aware.  I  de- 


116  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

nounced  their  conduct  in  open  session,  and  announced 
my  withdrawal.  They  tried  to  compromise  with  me, 
but,  of  course,  ineffectually.  Then  they  wanted  to 
know  whether  I  intended  publicly  to  expose  them. 
I  replied  that,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  their  only 
exposure  would  consist  in  the  public  knowing  that  I 
had  severed  relations  with  them.  The  interview 
which  you  have  just  read  will  serve  two  purposes  :  it 
will  convince  the  commissioners  that  I  know  no  more 
than  I  stated  to  them,  and  it  will  lead  the  public  to 
suspect  that  there  may  be  more  in  the  matter  than 
appears  on  the  surface." 

"  But  what  is  the  meaning  of  your  remarks  on  the 
water  scheme?"  demanded  Warren. 

"That  I  can  better  explain  to  you  later  on," 
Drayton  replied ;  "  it  is  a  more  important  point  than 
would  at  first  appear.  What  I  wish  to  know  now 
is,  whether  you  go  with  me  so  far?  You  remember, 
Warren,  that  I  depend  on  you,  and  on  no  one  else." 

"Well,"  said  Warren,  after  a  pause,  "I  guess 
I'm  getting  educated,  or  something  !  I  begin  to  see 
that  we  must  do  the  best  we  can  with  what  we've 
got.  I'm  glad,  at  all  events,  that  you've  got  clear 
of  that  Compensation  Fund,  and  that  you've  given 
them  a  piece  of  your  mind  —  even  if  it's  only  a 
piece ! " 


GETTING  EDUCATED.  117 

"They  will  get  the  whole  of  it  in  due  time," 
Drayton  responded,  with  a  momentary  sparkle  of 
his  dark  eyes.  "  But  as  to  being  clear  of  the  Com 
pensation  Fund,  we  should  be  a  little  premature  in 
counting  on  -that.  They  intend  —  that  is  to  say, 
Muhlbach  intends  —  to  pull  the  plug  out  of  our 
water  scheme  ;  and  unless  you  and  I  can  stop  him, 
he'll  do  it." 

"  Can  I  have  anything  to  do  with  it  ? "  asked 
Warren,  looking  up  with  some  animation. 

"You'll  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  it,  if  you're 
not  afraid  of  him." 

"I  shan't  mind  being  afraid  of  him,  if  I  can  once 
g-get  at  him  ! " 

"  Everybody  will  tell  you  that  Judge  Muhlbach  is 
one  of  the  most  powerful  men  in  New  York  ;  so  he 
is,  and  one  of  the  most  dangerous,  too.  The  ras 
cals  have  no  stronger  or  safer  friend  than  he ;  and 
yet  he  has  managed  so  well,  that  no  charge  has  ever 
been  brought  against  him.  But  I  think  we  can 
scotch  him,  for  all  that." 

Here  he  paused,  opened  a  drawer  of  the  table, 
and  took  from  it  a  handful  of  letters  and  papers, 
which  he  placed  on  the  desk.  Tapping  them  with 
his  fingers  occasionally,  he  continued  :  — 

"  I  became  acquainted  with  the  Judge  about  ten 


118  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

years  ago,  at  the  time  of  the  scandal  about  the  great 
ring  frauds.  The  Judge  had  the  confidence  of  the 
community,  and  when  it  became  known  that  the 
accused  would  be  arraigned  before  him  all  the 
honest  men  were  at  ease.  Justice  was  certain  to  be 
done ;  and,  so  far  as  has  ever  appeared,  justice  was 
done  without  favor  and  without  mercy.  And  yet, 
at  that  very  time,  Judge  Muhlbach  was  plotting  on 
the  side  of  the  scoundrels,  with  their  money  in  his 
pocket,  and,  but  for  one  of  those  accidents  which  no 
one  can  foresee,  and  for  which  shallow  men  extol 
Providence,  every  man  of  them  would  have  been 
scot-free  to-day.  It  was  not  his  fault ;  he  did  his 
best,  and  they  recognized  that,  and  therefore  took 
their  punishment  without  peaching  on  him.  They 
reflected,  probably,  that  he  might  be  useful  another 
time." 

"Are  you  certain  of  what  you  say?"  asked 
Warren,  somewhat  surprised  at  the  gravity  of  the 
accusation. 

"  If  I  were  less  than  certain  I  should  never  have 
undertaken  this  water  scheme.  To  make  a  long 
story  short,  I  happened  upon  traces  of  the  truth, 
and  then  I  spared  neither  money  nor  pains  to  com 
plete  the  evidence.  It  took  a  good  deal  of  money 
and  a  good  deal  of  pains ;  but  there  it  is  —  every 


GETTING  EDUCATED.  119 

line  of  it !  "  He  raised  his  hand,  and  brought  it 
down  again  softly  on  the  pile  of  papers.  "  And  now 
the  time  has  come  to  profit  by  it." 

"Why  now,  particularly?" 

"  Because  Judge  Muhlbach  is  the  only  man  who 
can  crush  our  enterprise.  And  you  and  I  are  the 
only  men  who  can  crush  him.  And  we'll  do  it  to 
day." 

"  Where  does  my  part  come  in  ?  You'll  publish 
these  papers  in  the  newspapers  "  — 

?  You  teach  me,  like  a  fool,  the  way  to  lose 
him!'  —  no  offence,  Warren;  I'm  only  quoting 
Cleopatra.  But  now  I'll  give  you  what  our  friend 
Peekskill  would  call  the  straight  tip.  When  you 
want  to  get  rid  of  a  man  who  stands  in  your  way, 
two  courses  are  open  to  you.  You  can  either  let 
him  run  away,  or  you  can  cut  off  his  retreat,  and 
set  out  to  annihilate  him.  Which  method  would 
you  prefer  ?  " 

"In  a  case  like  this,  the  last,"  said  Warren. 

Dray  ton  smiled.  "That's  because  you  don't 
know  yet  what  war  is,  except  in  poetry  and  romance. 
When  a  man  is  frightened,  and  sees  a  way  open 
behind  him,  he  runs,  and  that's  the  end  of  it ;  there's 
no  noise,  no  delay,  and  no  risk.  But  when  you 
make  him  desperate,  it's  a  different  matter  alto- 


120  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

gether.  Having  nothing  to  lose  by  fighting,  and 
everything  to  gain,  he  fights  as  no  other  man  will 
fight.  He  brings  in  all  his  friends  (who  are  as 
much  interested  as  he  is),  all  his  resources,  all  his 
strength  of  every  kind.  A  man  like  Muhlbach,  if 
he  didn't  beat  us,  could  delay  us  and  hamper  us  so 
that  our  victory  would  be  worth  practically  little 
to  us.  And  possibly  we  might  miss  the  victory 
after  all.  I  prefer  to  let  him  run  away." 

"Well,  how  will  you  do  it?"  asked  Warren,  nar 
rowing  his  eyes,  and  resting  his  chin  on  his  hand. 

"You  will  take  these  documents,  and  study  them 
carefully,  until  you've  fully  mastered  all  they  mean. 
Then  you'll  go  to  Judge  Muhlbach's  house  and  send 
up  your  card.  You  will  say  that  you've  been  in 
formed  he  means  to  oppose  the  water- works  scheme. 
When  he  assents  to  that  you  will  remark  that  such 
and  such  things  have  been  charged  against  him,  — 
going  into  details  as  far  as  may  be  necessary ;  and 
you  will  ask  him  whether,  under  the  circumstances, 
he  thinks  it  advisable  to  assume  a  hostile  attitude 
towards  the  plan.  When  he  protests  and  denies 
you  will  tell  him  you  have  nothing  more  to  say ; 
that  he  knows  whether  or  not  the  charges  are  true, 
but  that  your  informant  told  you  that  he  would,  if 
called  upon,  present  himself  within  half  an  hour, 


GETTING  EDUCATED.  121 

and  repeat  the  charges  to  Judge  Muhlbach's  face. 
And,  unless  I  am  very  much  mistaken,  Warren, 
that  will  finish  the  episode,  as  the  French  say.  You 
will  still  have  your  powder  unexploded ;  the  Judge 
will  have  his  retreat  open ;  he  will  know  his  danger, 
and  he  will  take  to  his  heels  with  all  manner  of 
dignity  and  tact.  Whereas,  were  we  to  attack  him 
through  the  newspapers,  our  secret  would  be  out  at 
once,  our  trump-card  played  at  the  opening  of  the 
game,  and  the  Judge  would  have  no  motive  for  not 
resisting.  No,  no  I  Whenever  you  see  malfeasance 
in  office  attacked  by  a  newspaper  you  may  be  sure 
that  the  attack  is  made,  not  in  the  interests  of 
justice,  but  for  the  interest  of  the  newspaper.  It  is 
good  for  circulation,  but  not  for  anything  else." 

Warren  rose  to  his  feet  and  took  up  the  documents. 
« 1 1-like  the  job,"  he  exclaimed,  "  and  I'll  do  it !  " 

"Be  polite,  and  be  cool,  and  don't  be  in  a  hurry. 
Give  him  elbow-room.  You  hold  winning  cards, 
but  be  careful !  for  the  result  of  this  first  diplomatic 
mission  of  yours  will  influence  many  greater  things 
than  the  new  water-works  !  " 


122  LOVE—  OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DIPLOMACY. 

WARREN  began  to  examine  his  evidence  at  twelve 
o'clock;  by  two  o'clock  he  had  mastered  it,  and 
was  on  his  way  to  Judge  Muhlbach's  house.  This 
was  a  cozy  but  unassuming  mansion  on  West 
Thirty-seventh  street.  The  Judge  was  a  bachelor, 
and  liked  comfort,  but  not  ostentation.  He  lived 
like  a  worthy  and  hard-working  American  citizen, 
who  has  secured  an  honest  competence  for  his  de 
clining  years.  He  was  a  man  of  many  friends,  and 
a  favorite  in  society.  His  conversation  was  fluent 
and  entertaining,  full  of  anecdote  and  humor,  and 
enriched  with  the  vast  and  varied  store  of  informa 
tion  which  a  nearly  thirty-years'  familiarity  with  the 
outer  and  inner  life  of  New  York  had  given  him. 
His  professional  repute  was  high  ;  he  was  faithful  to 
his  friends,  and  was  said  to  be  charitable  to  his 
enemies.  Though  not  generally  thought  to  be  a 
very  wealthy  man,  he  was  generous  to  those  who 
claimed  his  assistance ;  and  though  not  lavish  of 
sanctimonious  phrases,  he  was  a  faithful  supporter 


DIPLOMACY.  123 

of  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  nearly  sixty 
years  of  age,  and  each  successive  year  brought  him 
new  honor  and  respect. 

As  Warren  Bell  rang  the  door-bell  of  this  honest 
gentleman's  house,  he  felt  himself  in  better  heart 
and  spirits  than  for  many  a  week  past.  Hitherto 
his  part  in  the  arena  of  life  had  been  small  and 
obscure ;  he  had  merely  filled  out  or  aided  the 
designs  of  others.  But  now  he  was  practically  his 
own  master ;  and  not  only  so,  but  he  held  in  his 
hand  the  destinies  of  others,  and  of  great  under 
takings.  He  was  a  messenger  plenipotentiary, — 
he  could  make  or  mar  as  he  chose.  By  making  him 
the  depository  of  this  important  trust  Drayton  had 
put  Warren  on  an  equality  with  himself;  they  were 
equals,  no  longer  as  a  matter  of  phrase  or  courtesy, 
but  in  solid  fact.  And  the  work  which  was  to 
signalize  the  young  man's  entrance  into  the  inde 
pendent  sphere,  was  especially  suited  to  his  charac 
ter  and  present  convictions.  He  was  to  attack  cor 
ruption  and  oppression  in  the  person  of  Judge 
Muhlbach.  Corruption  and  oppression  had  long 
been  his  abstract  foes ;  for  a  long  time  he  had 
been  planning  imaginative  combats  with  them  and 
victories  over  them ;  and  now  he  was  to  satisfy  these 
aspirations  in  the  concrete.  Warren  had  what  a 


124  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

phrenologist  would   call   the  combative  bump  well 
developed. 

He  was  admitted  into  the  Judge's  presence  with 
out  difficulty.  The  Judge  always  aimed  to  be  easy 
of  access  ;  and  he  knew  so  many  people  that  he 
could  not  always  be  quite  sure  whether  he  knew  a 
given  person  or  not.  On  this  occasion,  at  all  events, 
he  happened  to  be  at  leisure,  and  Warren  was  shown 
up.  Judge  Muhlbach  had  just  partaken  of  lunch 
eon,  and  was  sitting  with  one  elbow  resting  on  the 
table  (which  supported  a  bottle  of  claret),  a  cigar 
in  his  mouth,  and  the  last  new  novel  in  his  hand ; 
for  he  was  a  professed  admirer  of  fiction,  arid  used 
to  say,  in  his  humorous  way,  that  he  meant  some 
day  to  try  his  hand  at  it  himself. 

Warren  saw  before  him  a  well-preserved  man, 
with  very  broad  shoulders  and  a  strong  figure ; 
though  now  rather  obese.  His  gray  hair  stood  up 
right  on  his  head,  and  was  cut  quite  short,  his  eye 
brows  were  thick  and  dark,  and  curved  downwards 
over  a  steady  and  penetrating  pair  of  black  eyes. 
The  lower  part  of  the  face  was  not  so  remarkable  as 
the  compact  and  convex  forehead,  though  there  was 
plenty  of  firmness  about  the  chin  and  lower  jaw. 
It  was  a  countenance  which  seemed  designed  to  be 
merely  animal  and  obstinate,  but  which  tenacious 


DIPLOMACY.  125 

purpose  had  refined  and  brightened  with  an  intel 
lectual  light.  Evidently,  the  Judge  was  no  com 
mon  man ;  and  Warren  could  understand  at  once, 
even  from  a  personal  stand-point,  the  stories  he  had 
heard  about  the  man's  "  influence."  He  would  like 
to  have  seen  him  and  Drayton  opposed  to  each 
other,  face  to  face. 

The  Judge,  on  his  part,  saw  in  Warren  a  person 
not  immediately  referable  to  any  of  the  various 
types  with  which  he  was  most  familiar ;  but  the 
bearing  and  appearance  of  the  young  man  made 
him  consider  it  worth  while  to  rise  from  his  chair 
and  extend  his  right  hand.  He  had  a  keen  intuition 
in  such  matters.  He  could  not  make  up  his  mind, 
however,  exactly,  what  the  young  man  had  come 
for. 

Warren  shook  hands  with  him,  accepted  a  chair, 
admitted  that  it  was  a  warm  day  for  the  season, 
refused  wine  and  cigars.  He  did  not  wish  anything 
to  stand  in  the  way  of  his  making  himself  as  dis 
agreeable  as  circumstances  might  require. 

"  Have  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you 
before?"  now  inquired  the  Judge,  with  a  look  of 
fixed  but  kindly  scrutiny  from  underneath  his  over 
hanging  eyebrows. 

"  No,  you  have  not,"  said  Warren.     "  I  was  until 


126  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

lately  an  engineer  in  the  Hydrographic  Department. 
I  resigned  my  position  there  last  spring." 

"  Ah  !  well  —  let  us  see.  The  Hydrographic  De 
partment  would  be  considered  a  good  opening.  I 
don't  know  whether  I  could  help  you  to  "  — 

"  I  don't  mean  to  trouble  you  in  that  way,"  said 
Warren,  as  the  Judge  paused.  "  I  have  been  work 
ing  this  summer  for  the  new  water- works." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Judge,  in  a  tone  of  friendly  inter 
est  ;  "  that  must  have  been  a  very  desirable  position. 
I  can  see  you  are  no  beginner.  Well,  sir,  civil 
engineering  is  one  of  the  best  professions  open  to  a 
man  in  this  country.  I  recollect  when  I  was  a  boy 
having  done  something  with  the  chain  and  the  the 
odolite  myself.  But  circumstances  interfered,  and 
I  got  switched  off.  I've  always  regretted  it.  I  was 
always  very  fond  of  the  open  air." 

"You  have  heard  about  the  water-works 
scheme?"  said  Warren,  sticking  to  his  point. 

"  After  a  fashion  —  yes.  Of  course,  such  things 
reach  me  rather  in  their  general  than  in  their  spe 
cific  aspects.  A  very  enterprising  and  ably-con 
ducted  idea,  I  should  say." 

"  It  has  prevailed  over  obstacles,  so  far,  Judge 
Muhlbach." 

"Yes,  —  yes.     From    the    engineer's    point    of 


DIPLOMACY.  127 

view  there  were  probably  many."  The  Judge  spoke 
these  words  in  a  meditative  tone ;  but  he  was  look 
ing  very  narrowly  at  his  interlocutor,  and  was 
holding  himself  as  motionless  as  a  statue. 

"  I  mean,  from  the  political  point  of  view,  — from 
y-your  point  of  view,  say." 

"  Ah  !  But  with  those  ulterior  matters  you,  as  an 
engineer,  would  probably  not  feel  personally  inter 
ested." 

"A  man  may  have  interests  outside  of  his  profes 
sion.  You  are  said  to  have." 

"Fairly   put!"    exclaimed   the    Judge,    with    a 
chuckling,   good-natured   laugh.      "Yes,"   he   con 
tinued,  dropping  the  butt  of  his  cigar  into  the  ash 
tray,  and  rubbing  his   hand  over  his   short  bristly 
hair ;  "  my  orbit  has  passed  the  political   boundary 
occasionally.     But,  as  regards  this  water  scheme,  I 
should  be  inclined  to  judge  it  in  a  broader  aspect 
than   the  merely   political   one.      Such   things   are 
either  public  benefits  or  public  injuries." 
"  Do  you  consider  this  a  public  benefit  ?  " 
"  You   ask   me  a  straight  question,  and  I'll  give 
you  a  straight  answer.     I  consider  it  a  public  in 
jury.     That   is   my  opinion;    though   I  can't  tell, 
of    course,    of    what   use   my    opinion   can    be   to 
you." 


128  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"  That  depends  on  whether  you  stop  at  having  the 
opinion,  or  mean  to  act  upon  it." 

"  You  must  allow  me  to  suspect,  Mr.  Bell,  that 
you  are  not  asking  these  questions  solely  on  your 
own  responsibility."  Then  he  said  rapidly,  in  a 
changed,  imperative  tone,  "Are  you  the  emissary 
of  the  men  whose  names  appear  in  connection  with 
this  scheme?" 

The  question  happened  to  be  so  worded  that 
Warren  could  immediately  reply,  "  No ;  none  of 
them  know  anything  about  this  interview." 

"  Then  what  do  you  want  of  me  ?  "  demanded  the 
Judge,  still  imperatively. 

"  I  want  you  to  promise  to  do  nothing  against  the 
water- works  scheme,"  said  Warren,  looking  at  the 
other  with  an  ingenuous  smile. 

The  Judge  paused  a  moment.  "  Do  you  know, 
Mr.  Bell,"  he  said,  resuming  his  mild  and  medita 
tive  air,  "you  quite  interest  me  !  Pardon  my  hav 
ing  spoken  abruptly.  One  has  to  resort  to  various 
means  of  finding  out  what  sort  of  a  person  one  is 
talking  with.  And  surely,  now,  your  account  of 
yourself  is  a  little  —  incomplete  ?  You  are  asking 
me  to  be  very  frank ;  ought  you  not  to  set  me  the 
example?  It  would  give  me  pleasure  to  oblige 
you ;  but,  in  matters  affecting  the  public  weal,  one 


DIPLOMACY.  129 

cannot  always  follow  one's  desires.  When  we 
know  each  other  a  little  better,  I  dare  say  there  will 
be  no  difficulty.  There  ought  not  to  be,  between 
honest  men." 

"  I  can  only  say,  that  I  believe  it  is  as  much  your 
interest  to  let  this  scheme  alone  as  it  is  that  of  its 
promoters  to  h-have  you  do  so." 

"  May  I  ask  you  what  leads  you  to  that  opinion  ?  " 

"  I  think  your  motives  in  opposing  it  would  be 
unfavorably  criticised." 

"Ah!  I  am  tolerably  well  known  in  this  city," 
said  the  Judge,  gently,  "  and  I  had  hoped  that  my 
motives,  in  any  matter,  might  at  least  be  given  the 
benefit  of  a  doubt.  You  may  be  right,  however. 
But  may  I  ask  why,  again?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  are  connected  with  the 
monopoly  which  we  mean  to  overturn." 

"Yes?  Well,  let  us  suppose  I  am.  The  mo 
nopoly,  as  you  call  it,  has  the  support  of  many  of 
our  best  citizens.  It  does  its  work,  and  earns  its 
just  wages.  Do  you  yourself  think,  prejudice  aside, 
that  it  can  or  ought  to  be  displaced  by  another  mo 
nopoly,  run  in  the  interests  of  a  set  of  political  ad 
venturers  ?  " 

It  passed  through  Warren's  mind  that  the  phrase 
"political  adventurers,"  though  pronounced  in  a 


130  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

courteous  tone,  was  in  itself  scarcely  complimentary  ; 
but  he  reflected,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  majority, 
at  least,  of  his  colleagues  merited  no  better  appella 
tion.  It  opened  the  way,  however,  for  a  retort, 
which  he  did  not  hesitate  to  make. 

"We  don't  aim  to  establish  a  monopoly;  we 
mean  to  put  an  honest  institution  in  the  place  of  an 
organized  system  of  robbery." 

"You  mean  to  say,  then,"  said  the  Judge,  gravely, 
"that  I  am  connected  with  a  system  of  organized 
robbery?" 

"Well,  y-yes,"  replied  Warren. 

The  Judge  bent  his  brows  for  a  few  moments  ; 
but  suddenly  he  threw  back  his  head,  and  laughed 
heartily. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Mr.  Bell,  I'm  glad  to  have 
made  your  acquaintance,  —  and  I  am  making  it 
very  fast !  You're  a  man  of  strong  convictions, 
and  you  have  the  courage  of  them.  But  civil-ser 
vice  reform  is  one  thing,  and  pitching  into  well- 
meaning  elderly  gentlemen  at  random  is  another. 
Your  first  step  should  be  to  discriminate  between  your 
friends  and  your  enemies,  instead  of  trying  to  make 
enemies  of  your  friends.  So  far  as  I  can  gather, 
you  call  this  monopoly  a  robbery,  not  as  the  result 
of  your  personal  investigations  of  its  practices  but 


DIPLOMACY.  131 

because  some  person  or  persons,  in  whom  you 
have  confidence,  have  told  you  that  it  is.  Now, 
you  don't  know  me  ;  but  a  great  many  people,  who 
do  know  me,  have  confidence  in  me,  and  if  I  tell 
them  that  the  monopoly  is  not  a  robbery,  why 
shouldn't  they  believe  me  just  as  much  as  you 
believe  your  informant?  I  only  want  to  indicate 
that  it  is  dangerous  to  make  up  your  mind  until  all 
the  evidence  is  in.  Now,  perhaps,  —  I  only  offer 
the  suggestion  in  the  course  of  argument,  — perhaps 
your  informant  is  interested  in  your  water  scheme  ?  " 

"  It  is  only  fair  to  tell  you,  Judge  Muhlbach,  that 
I  should  never  have  come  here  if  this  had  been  the 
only  thing  I  had  to  say  to  you.  But  whether  or 
not  your  monopoly  is  honest  makes  no  difference  as 
to  your  motives  being  suspected.  Even  if  you  were 
above  blame  there,  you  are  beyond  help  in  another 
matter." 

"Another  matter?  Now,  have  a  care,  young 
gentleman  !  I  have  every  desire  to  show  you  consid 
eration,  for  you  seem  to  mean  well.  But  I  warn 
you  to  weigh  your  words  from  this  point  onwards. 
I  shall  meet  you  as  man  to  man,  and  I  cannot  help 
it  if  every  advantage  is  on  my  side." 

"  You  will  need  all  your  advantage,  and  I  need 
none,"  replied  Warren,  his  own  voice  and  manner 


132  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

somewhat  reflecting  the  Judge's  earnest  solemnity ; 
for,  now  that  the  crisis  seemed  to  be  at  hand,  he  was 
sensible  how  serious  a  thing  it  is  to  destroy  a  man's 
reputation  before  his  eyes,  —  even  when  there  were 
no  other  eyes  looking  on. 

"Well,  let  us  have  the  other  matter,  then,"  said 
the  Judge,  relaxing  into  an  air  of  demure  banter. 
"  Pardon  me  if  I  light  another  cigar.  Are  you  sure 
you  won't  think  better  of  it,  and  join  me?  I  can 
recommend  them !  " 

A  double  meaning  may  have  lurked  in  these 
words ;  but,  if  so,  Warren  made  no  offer  to  discern 
it.  He  again  declined  the  cigars,  and  straightened 
himself  in  his  chair  for  the  attack. 

"We  can  both  remember  that  we  are  man  to  man," 
he  said,  "  and  that  what  I  have  to  say  need  go  no 
further,  unless  you  wish  it.  I  don't  wish  it,  for 
punishing  you  is  none  of  my  business.  I  only  want 
to  prevent  a  particular  piece  of  mischief.  And  you 
can  save  us  both  a  disagreeable  time  by  stopping  me 
as  soon  as  you  can  catch  my  drift ;  but  if  you  prefer 
to  fight  it  out  to  the  end,  all  right !  You  remember 
what  occurred  about  ten  years  ago — the  municipal 
frauds,  and  all  that?" 

"  I  have  reason  to  remember  it :  some  of  those 
men  had  been  my  personal  friends ;  the  course  of 


DIPLOMACY.  133 

events  brought  them  before  me  as  culprits,  and  it 
became  my  duty,  in  the  discharge  of  my  office,  to 
sentence  them.  Let  me  see — you  were  a  child  at 
school  then,  I  think?" 

"  I  would  rather  be  taught  my  lessons  at  sixteen 
than  at  sixty,"  was  on  the  tip  of  Warren's  tongue ; 
but  he  kept  it  back.  He  felt  that  the  old  man 
before  him  was  anxious,  and  was  trying  to  disguise 
his  anxiety ;  and  he  could  not  help  being  sorry  for 
him. 

"  Did  any  letters  pass  between  you  and  any  of 
those  men,  after  suspicion  fell  on  them?"  was  his 
next  question. 

The  Judge  smiled.  "That  is  hardly  likely.  I 
certainly  can't  charge  my  memory  with  any  such 
foolish  breach  of  official  etiquette.  Come,  come, 
young  gentleman  !  Some  malicious  scamp  has  been 
cramming  you  with  a  lot  of  scandalous  nonsense. 
Take  a  friend's  advice,  and  have  no  more  to  do  with 
it.  You  have  evidently  fallen  into  bad  hands.  I'll 
tell  you  what  I'll  do  with  you,  —  for,  in  spite  of 
your  confounded  impertinence,  there's  something 
about  you  that  I  like,  —  if  you  will  cut  loose  from 
that  very  shady  set  you're  entangled  with  now,  it 
shall  be  my  personal  concern  to  see  that  you  get  a 
good  start  in  an  honorable  and  brilliant  career.  I 


134  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

s 

can  introduce  you  to  men,  and  to  opportunities,  that 
will"  — 

"You  may  as  well  hear  me  out  first,"  interrupted 
Warren,  dryly,  "  and  then  you'll  be  better  able  to 
f-fix  my  price  exactly.  I  was  going  to  ask  you 
whether  you  remembered  any  such  passage  in  one 
of  the  letters  as  this  (I  quote  from  memory  —  I 
haven't  the  letter  with  me)  :  '  For  God's  sake, 
make  no  statement  until  you  hear  from  me  in  full. 
You  will  be  arrested  to-morrow ;  but  I  have  so  ar 
ranged  matters  that  you  will  ultimately  be  brought 
before  me,  and  I  am  confident  that  your  acquittal 
can  be  secured.  I  have  as  much  at  stake  as  you, 
and  shall  work  for  you  and  the  rest  as  I  would  for 
myself.  If  I  have  any  power  in  this  city,  you  will 
be  better  off  three  months  hence  than  you  ever  were 
before.'" 

"  That  will  do,  sir  !  "  exclaimed  the  Judge,  rising 
from  his  chair  with  a  magisterial  air.  "  I  regret  to 
find  how  much  I  have  been  mistaken  in  you.  Keep 
your  letters,  and  whatever  else  you  may  have  stolen 
from  waste-paper  baskets  or  bribed  footmen  for. 
Print  them,  word  for  word,  in  the  newspapers  to 
morrow  morning,  —  if  they  will  buy  them  of  you, 
—  and  you  will  only  confirm  my  integrity  and  the 
dishonor  of  yourself  and  of  your  associates.  My 


DIPLOMACY.  135 

policy,  my  motives,  and  my  aims  are  not  to  be  rep 
resented  by  garbled  extracts  from  private  communi 
cations,  which  often  have  a  superficial  appearance 
wholly  at  variance  with  their  true  purport  and  object. 
I'll  have  you  to  know  that  I  fear  no  man,  and  no 
revelation.  My  reputation  is  stronger  than  any 
attack  that  a  hundred  such  fellows  as  you  can  bring 
against  it." 

So  saying,  the  Judge  stretched  forth  his  hand  to 
the  mantel-piece  to  get  a  light  for  his  cigar ;  but  the 
hand  trembled  so  that,  coming  in  contact  with  a 
jar  of  Japanese  porcelain,  it  brought  it  to  the 
ground,  and  smashed  it  into  fragments. 

Warren,  who  had  also  risen,  gained  self-com 
mand  as  he  saw  the  other  lose  it ;  and  his  manner 
was  unusually  cold  and  quiet  as  he  said,  "  Our 
conference  so  far  has  been  a  private  one,  Judge 
Muhlbach ;  but,  if  you  feel  in  any  way  dissatisfied 
with  my  manner  of  putting  the  case  to  you,  I  will 
send  a  messenger  to  the  gentleman  who  has  the 
papers,  and  he  will  come  at  once  and  explain  things. 
But,  you  know,  what  goes  beyond  two  is  apt  to  go 
far.  You  must  choose  between  me  and  the  news 
papers." 

"  I  wish  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  either  with 
you,  or  with  any  one  connected  with  you." 


136  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

t?  Then  you  agree  to  do  nothing,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  to  oppose  the  water-works  scheme?" 

"  I'll  make  no  agreements,  sir  !  "  cried  the  Judge, 
frowning  darkly.  "  As  to  your  paltry  water-works 
scheme,"  he  added,  in  an  uneven  voice,  "you've 
been  wasting  my  time  and  exposing  yourself  to  no 
purpose.  It  was  never  for  a  moment  my  intention 
to  meddle  with  any  such  dirty  business  ;  the  thieves 
who  started  it  will  cut  each  other's  throats  quicker 
than  honest  men  could  do  it  for  'em.  You  may  tell 
'em  that,  with  Judge  Muhlbach's  compliments ! 
And  say,  too,  that  whenever  the  law,  in  its  due 
course,  brings  one  of  them  before  me  for  judgment, 
—  as  I  surely  expect  it  will, — he  shall  then  have 
an  opportunity  to  learn  the  reasons  that  withheld  me 
from  —  from  —  anticipating  justice  to-day  !  " 

Warren  Iqoked  at  the  old  man,  as  he  stood  con 
fronting  him  there,  flushed  with  rage,  broad- 
shouldered,  massive,  —  and  could  not  but  admire 
the  valiant  show  he  made  in  the  presence  of  dis 
astrous  defeat.  Such  a  man,  he  thought,  must  have 
some  good  in  him.  He  must  have  imagined  him 
self  faithful  to  a  certain  law  of  right,  even  in  the 
midst  of  his  iniquity.  And,  having  carried  his 
point,  Warren  had  no  desire  to  press  his  antagonist 
further,  or  to  tear  from  him  the  last  poor  shreds  of 


DIPLOMACY.  137 

self-respect,  beneath  which  he  strove  so  strenuously 
to  conceal  his  collapse.  Therefore,  all  he  said  was, 
"  I  think  we  unders-stand  each  other,  Judge  Muhl- 
bach  !  "  and  walked  out  of  the  room. 

But  at  the  door  the  Judge  called  him  back. 
Warren  turned,  and  was  surprised  to  see  his  coun 
tenance,  so  lately  working  with  passion,  with  a 
good-humored  smile  upon  it. 

"Mr.  Bell,"  he  said,  "you  have  impaired  my  diges 
tion,  and  you've  made  me  break  my  pet  jar ;  but  I 
bear  you  no  malice.  I  can  recognize  a  good  fellow 
when  I  see  him,  whether  he  stands  in  my  way  or 
not.  You  have  done  a  difficult  job  in  a  gentle 
manly  manner,  and  I'm  afraid  I  was  a  little  boister 
ous.  Well — in  this  world  we  must  all  make 
allowances  for  one  another.  And  now,  as  our 
business  is  quite  over,  it  would  give  me  pleasure  if 
you  would  accept  one  of  these  cigars  ;  it  will  do  you 
no  harm,  and —  one  good  turn  deserves  another  !" 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Warren,  smiling  a  little  also  ; 
"  I'll  take  one  on  the  grounds  you  mention  ;  but  if 
you  please,  I  prefer  to  smoke  m-my  own." 

"  So  be  it :  this  will  remain  the  longer  to  remind 
you  of  our  interview,"  said  the  Judge,  pleasantly ; 
"and  I  wish  you  a  very  good  day." 

One  other  singular  experience  was  in  store  for 


138  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

Warren  before  he  got  out  of  the  house.  As  he 
reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  a  servant  came  along 
the  passage  and  opened  the  street  door  to  admit  two 
ladies.  One  of  them  was  a  stranger  to  Warren  ; 
the  other  he  recognized  immediately.  She  saw  him 
at  the  same  moment,  but,  instead  of  stopping  to 
speak  to  him,  she  instantly  pulled  down  her  veil, 
and,  getting  on  the  other  side  of  her  stout  com 
panion,  glided  by  him  without  a  word.  Warren 
was  so  overcome  with  bewilderment,  first  at  meeting 
her  in  that  house,  and  in  that  part  of  the  world,  and 
then  at  her  behavior,  that  he  knew  not  what  to  do  ; 
and  consequently  he  found  himself  outside  the 
house,  with  the  door  closed  upon  him,  before  he  had 
made  up  his  mind.  After  that,  all  circumstances 
considered,  it  was  hardly  possible  to  reenter ;  and 
he  walked  down  street  like  a  man  in  a  dream,  re 
peating  over  and  over  to  himself:  — 

"  Nell    Anthony    in    New  York  —  and   in   that 
house  !  —  what  the  d-devil  does  it  mean  ?  " 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  LOVE.  139 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    SENTIMENT   OF    LOVE. 

+ 

WHILE  Warren  Bell  had  been  mounting  the  lad 
der  of  ambition  in  New  York,  Nell  Anthony  had 
been  imparting  color  and  warmth  to  the  thin  minds 
of  Hickory  children.  Upon  the  angular  and  juice- 
less  scaffolding  of  arithmetic,  geography,  and  gram 
mar,  which  the  spirit  of  New  England  calls  educa 
tion,  she  was  attempting  to  train  the  rich  flowers 
and  graceful  foliage  of  romance  and  poetry.  It 
was  a  Quixotic  aspiration,  and  could  hardly  achieve 
permanent  or  unequivocal  success.  Children,  in 
deed,  have  a  quicker  appreciation  of  such  things 
than  their  elders  ;  but  when  they  themselves  become 
elders,  the  blossoms  that  sprouted  so  readily  are  apt 
to  fade.  Only  when  the  cultivation  is  carried  on  to 
the  second  and  third  generation  do  the  results  begin 
to  bear  genuine  fruit.  But  our  average  life  is  so 
vulgarized  with  action  and  effort,  and  so  poor  in 
repose  and  reflection,  that  the  souls  of  our  sons  and 
daughters  are  liable  to  turn  out  almost  as  emaciated 
as  our  own. 


140  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

In  spite  of  these  hard  conditions  Nell  Anthony 
found  the  worst  obstacles  in  her  way  to  be  caused 
by  her  success  rather  than  by  her  failure.  The 
children  liked  her,  and  were  better  pleased  to  listen 
to  her  stories  and  readings  than  to  learn  by  heart 
the  arid  paragraphs  of  their  utilitarian  text-books. 
Accordingly  they  made  themselves  into  knights, 
enchanters,  ogres,  and  princesses,  and  sought  for 
the  location  of  fairy-land,  instead  of  considering  the 
boundaries  and  principal  towns  of  their  own  State. 
In  a  word,  they  showed  a  tendency  to  enrich  their 
emotions,  instead  of  elaborating  their  brains ;  and 
the  school  board  naturally  began  to  take  alarm. 
The  school  board  entertained  a  kindly  regard  for 
Nell  Anthony ;  but  their  regard  for  the  welfare  of 
the  Republic  was,  of  course,  more  serious.  The 
Republic  must  be  peopled  by  practical  citizens,  not 
by  knights,  princesses,  and  hobgoblins.  Miss 
Anthony,  therefore,  received  an  intimation  to  this 
effect,  softened  by  an  assurance  that  her  good  intui 
tions  were  cordially  recognized,  and  supplemented 
by  the  suggestion  that  she  might,  perhaps,  feel  dis 
posed  so  to  modify  the  tenor  of  her  instruction  as  to 
produce  effects  more  obviously  useful. 

Nell  was  perfectly  aware,  however,  that  any 
sharp-tongued,  hack-brained,  normal-school  gradu- 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  LOVE.  141 

ate  was  better  qualified  than  she  to  furnish  the  pabu 
lum  which  school  children  are  supposed  to  require, 
and  that  if  she  were  not  allowed  to  follow  her  own 
intuitions  she  would  better  not  meddle  with  the 
children  at  all ;  so  she  declined,  with  thanks,  the 
kind  offer  of  the  Board,  and  bade  farewell  to  her 
young  amateur  people  of  fairy-land.  The  Board 
felt  relieved,  and  the  fairy-land  people  dejected. 
How  did  Nell  Anthony  herself  feel  about  it? 

Had  the  affair  occurred  a  few  months  earlier  she 
would  have  been  seriously  disappointed.  But  these 
few  months  had  made  a  change  in  her ;  and  she  had 
latterly  been  in  doubt  as  to  whether  Hickory  were 
any  longer  the  place  for  her.  Her  life,  ever  since 
it  began,  had  been  mainly  an  instinctive  one,  — 
perhaps  intuitive  would  be  the  fitter  word ;  at  any 
rate,  she  had  simply  dealt  with  things  as  they  came 
to  hand,  without  troubling  herself  about  either 
causes  or  consequences.  Her  instinct  had  been  to 
make  people  happy ;  and  by  intuition  she  perceived 
how  this  object  might  be  realized.  She  had  never 
thought  about  making  herself  happy,  because  happi 
ness  of  a  quiet  but  essential  kind  had  never  been 
lacking  to  her.  This  may  have  arisen  from  the 
spectacle  of  others'  felicity,  or  it  may  have  been  a 
matter  of  temperament ;  she  had  no  theory  on  the 


142  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

subject.  She  was  not  conscious  of  sacrificing  her 
self  to  any  extent ;  no  question  of  sin  or  virtue  was 
present  in  her  mind.  She  followed  the  bent  of  her 
nature,  and,  so  far,  it  had  uniformly  harmonized 
with  the  drift  of  her  circumstances.  "  Duty  "  was  a 
word  she  never  used  in  relation  to  her  own  conduct, 
and  if  she  understood  the  meaning  of  it  it  was  only 
from  hearsay  or  the  dictionary.  She  was  good,  be 
cause  being  good  gave  her  pleasure.  Logically, 
therefore,  if  at  any  time  she  should  find  pleasure  in 
being  wicked,  wicked  she  would  be.  But  I  am  far 
from  asserting  that  logic  has  any  application  in 
such  a  matter. 

Her  experience  of  love  had  borne  an  analogy  to 
her  lesser  experiences.  To  love  belonged  to  her  age 
and  complexion,  and  circumstances  had  made  it 
natural  to  love  Warren  Bell.  But  there  had  been 
nothing  self-conscious  or  deliberate  in  her  passion. 
She  had  read  no  stories  about  love,  and  she  did  not 
—  so  to  speak  —  know  it  by  name.  It  was  as  origi 
nal  with  her  as  with  Eve,  and  meant,  in  her  case, 
an  exquisite  pleasure  felt  in  preferring  another  to  her 
self  and  to  all  things,  an  impulse  to  give  him  what 
ever  could  add  to  his  happiness,  without  thought  of 
return  or  compensation.  Had  she  been  asked  whether 
he  loved  her  as  she  loved  him,  the  question  would 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  LOVE.  143 

only  have  perplexed  and  distressed  her ;  any  such 
consideration  would  have  seemed  to  detract  from  the 
spontaneity  and  value  of  her  own  gift.  All  she 
thought  of  finding  in  him  was  a  sympathy  and  appre 
ciation  which  would  lead  him  to  accept  and  under 
stand  what  she  offered.  For,  though  she  was  nothing 
in  the  balance,  her  love  was  of  infinite  worth ;  and 
it  was  indispensable  that  he  whom  she  loved  should 
possess  a  corresponding  capacity  of  reception.  Nell 
never  doubted  Warren's  capacity,  and,  of  course,  she 
idealized  him.  She  took  his  heroism  for  granted, 
and  believed  him  easily  deserving  of  more  than  all 
she  ascribed  to  him  or  could  do  for  him. 

As  for  kisses  and  embraces,  they  had  ceased  with 
childhood,  and  had  not  entered  into  her  maiden 
meditations.  Warren's  long  absences  from  home 
had  rendered  this  transition  easy.  To  an  innocent 
and  unhackneyed  mind  these  things  seem,  as  it  were, 
an  anticlimax  to  the  pure  passion  ;  being  symbolic, 
they  are  on  lower  level  than  the  thing  symbolized. 
Doubtless,  however,  they  possess  a  mystery  and  a 
magic  of  their  own  which  transfigure  them  in  their 
due  time  and  season.  But  such  enchantments  are 
the  revelation  of  experience,  not  of  forecast ;  and 
though  that  experience  might  await  Nell  Anthony, 
she  would  never  anticipate  it.  There  was  a  beauti- 


144  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

ful  refinement  in  her,  which  spiritualized  her  love 
in  proportion  to  its  ardor.  The  strongest  love  is 
never  that  which  most  depends  upon  its  material 
phase,  although  (it  need  scarcely  be  added)  sensu 
ality  itself  is  vapid  and  lethargic  compared  with  the 
fire  of  a  true  love  fittingly  incarnate.  Its  aim  is  so 
far  beyond  any  possible  realization  that  the  realiza 
tion  itself  seems  miraculous. 

But  circumstances,  which  had  so  long  befriended 
Nell  Anthony,  enabling  her  to  live  in  the  present, 
and  to  find  therein  all  desirable  sustenance  of  life,  at 
length  assumed  a  hostile  aspect.  The  death  of  her 
mother  gave  her,  for  the  first  time,  a  past  and  a 
future ;  and  the  event  immediately  following,  in 
which  Warren  Bell  was  the  chief  actor,  opened  to 
her  untrodden  regions  in  her  own  soul.  What  he 
said  to  her  compelled  her  to  contemplate  in  broad 
daylight  the  delicate  thoughts  and  virgin  impulses 
which  had  hitherto  lurked  in  the  dewy  shadows  of 
her  secret  heart.  This  unspoken  wonder  and  glory 
of  her  life  turned  out  to  be  a  thing  reducible  to 
words  and  phrases,  —  something  which  mankind 
had  canvassed  and  discounted  since  the  world  began. 
It  had  what  might  be  called  a  market- value,  which 
Warren  proposed  to  pay.  This  in  itself  would  have 
caused  a  temporary  shrinking-back  in  Nell,  had  this 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  LOVE.  145 

been  all.  But  her  eyes,  to  which  love  lent  penetra 
tion,  saw  in  an  instant  the  perfunctory  undercurrent 
of  Warren's  speech.  He  did  not  need  her,  and  he 
did  not  even  want  her ;  he  felt  a  responsibility 
about  her,  and  was  intending  to  discharge  it  by 
making  her  his  wife.  The  situation  shocked  her ; 
she  felt  degraded  without  knowing  why.  Character 
istically,  she  absolved  Warren  from  all  blame,  and 
magnified  his  simple  act  into  a  colossal  piece  of  self- 
abnegation.  Nevertheless,  when  the  affair  was  over, 
she  could  not  settle  herself  as  before.  The  idea  of 
herself  as  Warren's  wife  kept  recurring  to  her  im 
agination,  and  often  made  her  cheeks  burn.  It  cast 
back  a  light  upon  her  state  of  mind  towards  him 
during  recent  years,  and  forced  her  to  read  it  in  a 
new  sense.  Her  case  was  somewhat  analogous  to 
that  of  a  child  who  has  found  a  splendid  crystal,  and 
has  admired  it  for  its  beauty,  when  suddenly  in 
formed  that  the  crystal  is  a  diamond  worth  a  king 
dom.  It  is  not  more  beautiful;  in  some  respects, 
perhaps  it  is  less  so  ;  but  it  has  an  effect  and  a  sig 
nificance  altogether  different  from  formerly. 

For  a  while  the  new  feelings  contended  within 
her,  ousting  and  replacing  the  old  ones,  and  when 
at  last  she  had  recognized  and  accepted  them  she 
was  no  longer  the  same  as  before.  She  felt  nearer  to 


146  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

the  great  world  which  she  had  never  seen, — she  felt 
herself  a  woman.  Warren  did  not  love  her,  and  of 
course  never  would  do  so  ;  but  that  could  not  dimin 
ish  her  love  for  him.  She  loved  him  more,  because 
she  now  understood  what  her  love  meant.  And  she 
was  aware  of  a  depth  and  strength  in  herself  that 
called  for  more  arduous  work  to  do.  For  the  first 
time  she  began  to  reflect,  and  to  act  upon  her  re 
flections.  She  thought  of  Warren  plunging  into 
the  dangers  and  duties  of  the  world,  and  she  longed 
to  behold  his  career,  partly  from  fear  that  harm 
might  come  to  him,  and  partly  from  her  profound 
sympathy  with  all  that  appertained  to  him.  True, 
she  had  refused  him  for  the  reason,  among  others, 
that  she  feared  to  be  a  clog  upon  him ;  but  a  wife  is 
one  thing,  and  an  interested  spectator,  with  the 
ability  to  lend  a  hand  if  needed,  is  another.  The 
only  question  was,  how  she  could  so  place  herself  as 
to  fulfil  these  conditions.  And  to  this  question  all 
her  reflections  did  not  yield  an  answer. 

A  girl  thoroughly  ignorant  of  the  world  is,  indeed, 
apt  greatly  to  underrate  its  perils  and  difficulties, 
and  to  magnify  her  own  power  to  deal  with  them. 
But  Nell  Anthony  had  a  native  good  sense,  which, 
in  some  measure,  served  instead  of  experience ;  and 
it  withheld  her  from  committing  a  crude  folly  at  this 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  LOVE.  147 

juncture.  She  perceived,  without  being  told,  that 
a  girl  destitute  of  protectors  of  any  kind,  without 
introductions  and  without  conventional  training, 

o  ' 

could  not  expediently  establish  herself  in  New 
York.  She  might,  of  course,  apply  to  Warren 
Bell,  —  except  that  this  was  the  very  thing  she 
most  devoutly  desired  to  avoid.  That  he  should 
be  aware  of  her  presence  would  be  fatal  to  the 
essence  of  her  plan ;  and  her  most  *  besetting 
dread  was  lest  New  York  should  prove  too  small 
to  hide  her  from  him.  The  cap  of  invisibility, 
about  which  she  had  so  often  told  her  school-children, 
would  have  suited  her  requirements  exactly;  she 
wanted  to  help  him,  protect  him,  and  be  with  him, 
without  his  knowing  anything  about  it.  But 
the  cap  was  not  forthcoming,  and  she  seemed 
chained  to  Hickory.  The  little  village  had  been  a 
pleasant  and  sufficient  home  to  her  heretofore  ;  but, 
now  that  she  wished  to  leave  it,  and  could  not,  it 
seemed  like  the  closest  and  most  stifling  of  prisons. 

In  addition  to  the  motives  directly  concerning 
Warren,  there  was  another,  derived  from  these,  but 
more  obviously  affecting  herself.  She  wished  to  be 
employed  about  something  that  should  influence  a 
wider  and  more  important  circle  than  could  be  reached 
in  Hickory.  Till  now  she  had  been  content  to  help 


148  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

her  mother  and  tell  stories  to  children  ;  but  Warren's 
ambition  had  aroused  a  kindred  fire  in  her  own 
heart.  It  was  not  a  rivalry,  however ;  it  was  a 
sympathy,  a  kind  of  development  of  the  sentiment 
noblesse  oblige.  If  Warren  became  great  it  was  in 
cumbent  upon  her,  as  his  feminine  counterpart,  to 
seek  a  corresponding  elevation  in  her  own  sphere. 
He  would  never  know  her  aim ;  but  that  made  no 
difference'  in  her  sense  of  obligation.  She  acted  from 
a  sense  of  justice  and  equality,  —  the  justice  and 
equality  of  love.  All  this  indicates  that  Nell  An 
thony  was  still  in  a  great  measure  under  the  do 
minion  of  sentiment ;  the  true,  substantial  passion  of 
love  had  not  as  yet  been  fully  kindled  in  her,  with 
its  jealousies,  its  ecstasies,  and  its  despairs.  That 
too,  might  come,  if  circumstances  so  ordained  ;  but 
if  not,  she  might  go  on  to  the  end  governing  her 
life  by  abstractions  and  ideal  fancies,  and  never 
comprehending  either  her  loss  or  her  gain. 

Meanwhile,  she  was  no  nearer  making  her  escape 
from  Hickory  than  ever ;  and,  since  her  restlessness 
increased  with  every  passing  day,  there  was  danger 
that  she  would  finally  overcome  discretion,  and 
spread  her  wings  at  any  cost.  Fortunately,  how 
ever,  things  were  not  brought  quite  to -that  pass. 
Towards  the  end  of  summer  she  received  a  letter  — 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  LOVE.  149 

the  most  unexpected,  and  yet  the  most  matter-of- 
course  of  all  letters  —  which  solved  all  her  difficul 
ties  in  five  minutes,  and  made  going  to  New  York  a 
mere  matter  of  buying  a  railroad  ticket.  This 
seemed  to  Nell  Anthony  the  turning  point  of  her 
existence,  and  almost  as  if  Warren  had  stretched 
forth  a  hand  to  her  in  greeting. 


150  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SUSAN"   WAYNE. 

THE  letter  was  from  Susan  Wayne,  and  con 
tained  an  invitation  to  Nell  Anthony  to  come  and 
stay  with  her  in  New  York.  Susan  had  just  heard 
of  Mrs.  Anthony's  death. 

This  Susan  had  formerly  been  one  of  Nell's 
school-mates.  She  came  of  a  family  which  had  re 
sided  in  Hickory,  but  had  removed  thence  ten  years 
before.  Susan  was  an  amiable  and  excellent  girl, 
not  very  clever,  but  admirably  conscientious  ;  and 
she  was  the  complaisant  and  uncomplaining  object 
of  all  manner  of  practical  jokes  on  the  part  of  her 
school-fellows.  Nell  was  the  only  one  who  took  no 
share  in  the  popular  pastime ;  and  she  and  Susan 
became,  as  a  consequence,  intimate  friends.  Susan 
was  considerably  the  elder  in  years,  though  not  in 
intelligence ;  she  was  often  indebted  to  Nell  for  an 
insight  into  her  lessons.  Being  of  a  redundantly 
grateful  disposition  she  never  forgot  these  services ; 
and  when  she  left  Hickory  she  was  very  strenuous 
in  making  arrangements  for  a  profuse  and  permanent 


SUSAN  WAYNE.  151 

correspondence.  And,  if  the  correspondence  failed 
somewhat  of  being  either  diurnal  or  eternal,  it  was 
not  Susan's  fault.  For  nearly  a  year  she  wrote  al 
most  as  much  and  as  often  as  one  of  the  characters 
in  Richardson's  novels.  But  Nell  was  almost  as 
reticent  on  paper  as  in  speech  ;  her  letters  were  very 
short,  and  there  were  not  many  of  them.  Never 
theless,  communications  continued  to  be  sent  and 
received  at  irregular  and  decreasing  intervals,  until 
Susan  met  Professor  Wayne,  of  Dartmouth,  and 
was  married  to  him.  He  was  twenty  years  her 
elder ;  but  he  knew  what  he  was  about,  and  she 
made  him  an  unexceptionable  wife.  Her  facility  with 
the  pen  now  found  ample  exercise,  for  she  attended 
to  all  his  voluminous  correspondence,  copied  out  his 
lectures,  and  wrote  reams  of  foolscap  at  his  dicta 
tion.  She  delighted  in  this  drudgery,  but  it  left  her 
little  or  no  leisure  for  her  own  concerns.  They 
moved  to  New  York  (the  professor  was  quite  a 
wealthy  man),  and  Susan  lost  sight  of  her  friend, 
though  she  remembered  her  just  as  affectionately  as 
ever.  Five  years  had  passed,  during  which  Nell 
had  not  heard  from  Mrs.  Wayne,  and,  to  tell  the 
truth,  had  not  devoted  much  thought  to  her.  So 
this  letter  from  her  descended  like  a  small  thunder 
bolt  out  of  a  clear  sky. 


152  LOVE -OR  A  NAME. 

The  letter-paper  had  a  black  border,  and  it  ap 
peared  that  Susan  had  lately  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  her  excellent  professor.  He  had  died,  as  a 
philosopher  should,  of  a  suffusion  on  the  brain,  in 
the  midst  of  composing  a  monumental  work  on  the 
Application  of  Electricity  to  Idiots.  He  had  left  his 
wife  an  interminable  assortment  of  manuscripts, 
chiefly  in  her  own  handwriting,  but  of  the  purport 
of  which  she  knew  next  to  nothing ;  a  large  and 
valuable  library,  which  she  would  never  read ;  a 
comfortable  home,  a  good  deal  too  large  for  her; 
and  about  twenty  thousand  a  year  in  United  States 
bonds,  which  she  was  somewhat  at  a  loss  how  to 
spend.  But,  if  her  intelligence  was  limited,  her 
energy  and  benevolence  were  great ;  and  it  did  not 
take  her  long  to  decide  that  she  ought  to  regard 
herself  as  but  the  steward  of  the  bulk  of  this 
fortune,  which  should  be  applied  to  the  amelioration 
of  the  condition  of  her  less  fortunate  fellow-mortals. 
Such  warm-hearted  persons  as  Susan  Wayne,  unless 
constantly  checked  by  special  dispensations  of 
Providence,  are  apt  to  be  among  the  most  dan 
gerous,  because  the  most  unconscious,  antagonists 
of  civilization.  Susan,  taking  counsel  with  herself 
how  to  do  good,  bade  fair  to  become  destructive 
beyond  the  average,  until,  by  a  special  dispensation 


SUSAN  WAYNE.  153 

of  Providence,  she  accidentally  received  intelligence 
of  Mrs.  Anthony's  death,  and  immediately  conceived 
the  idea  of  getting  her  old  friend  Nell  to  come  and 
live  with  her,  and  take  part  in  her  great  scheme  for 
social  benefaction  and  improvement. 

"She  must  be  so  lonely,"  exclaimed  Susan  to 
herself;  "and  I'm  sure  this  is  just  the  kind  of  thing 
she  needs  to  make  her  happy.  Nell  and  I  always 
agreed  about  everything." 

In  fact,  the  moment  Nell  received  the  invitation, 
she  made  up  her  mind  to  accept  it.  It  would  give 
her  a  home  in  New  York,  and  independence  (for 
her  own  income,  modest  though  it  was,  would 
suffice  to  relieve  her  from  the  embarrassments  of 
Susan's  riches) ,  and  it  would  bring  her  into  just  the 
position  most  convenient  for  her  designs  towards 
Warren.  Warren  and  Susan  were  quite  unknown 
to  each  other,  and  there  was  no  probability  that  the 
circles  of  society  in  which  they  severally  moved 
would  have  any  point  of  contact.  Nell's  obscurity 
would  be  equal  to  his  conspicuousness,  and  their 
mutual  relation  would  be  like  that  of  a  spectator 
in  the  auditorium  to  an  actor  on  the  stage  :  the 
former  can  observe  the  latter's  every  motion,  while 
himself  remaining  indistinguishable  in  the  crowd. 
Nor,  had  the  choice  been  offered  her,  could  she  have 


154  LOVE —OR  A  NAME. 

selected  a  companion  more  congenial  to  her  humor 
than  Susan  Wayne.  Susan  was  talkative,  Nell  was 
silent;  Susan  was  restless,  Nell  was  quiet;  Susan 
was  impulsive,  Nell  was  deliberate.  They  came,  as 
it  were,  from  opposite  points  of  the  compass  ;  but 
they  could  only  moderate  each  other,  —  never  wear 
each  other  out.  They  would  each  be  all  the  better 
for  a  little  flavoring  of  the  other.  It  was  a 
thoroughly  wholesome  comradeship. 

Nell  was  not  long  in  making  her  preparations. 
She  packed  up  such  of  her  belongings  as  she  did  not 
care  to  be  separated  from,  and  rented  the  house  and 
farm  upon  comfortable  terms.  Her  adieus  were 
easily  said,  and  did  not  convey  the  idea  that  she  was 
to  be  very  long  absent,  — indeed,  that  was  a  matter 
concerning  which  she  herself  was  entirely  uncertain. 
But  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  she  were  going  very  far ; 
for  distance  is  less  a  matter  of  miles  than  of  novelty. 
The  next  world  is  said  to  be  all  around  us,  if  not 
within  us  ;  but  most  people  would  consider  it  a  long 
journey. 

Nell  travelled  by  way  of  Albany,  and  came  down 
the  Hudson,  not  possessing  culture  enough,  perhaps, 
to  prefer  the  Boston  route.  And  when,  at  last,  she 
rolled  into  the  Grand  Central  Depot,  and  followed 
the  exuding  stream  of  passengers  down  the  aisle  of 


SUSAN  WAYNE.  155 

the  car,  and  out  on  the  platform,  behold,  there  was 
the  broad,  hospitable  smile  of  her  friend  awaiting 
her,  which  immediately  resolved  itself  into  hearty 
kisses,  which  the  traveller  cordially  returned. 

Susan  had  a  carriage  in  waiting,  and  they  drove 
to  her  house ;  but  the  conversation  on  the  way, 
though  animated,  was  not  of  general  interest; 
besides,  owing  to  the  clattering  of  the  streets  in  her 
unwonted  ears,  Nell  was  unable  to  hear  half  the 
questions  that  her  friend  asked  her.  She  thought 
Susan  notably  changed  in  appearance,  but  inwardly 
much  the  same  as  before  ;  her  mind  had  not  essen 
tially  matured.  She  had  expanded,  however,  from 
a  dumpy  and  awkward  girl  of  fifteen  into  a  broad- 
shouldered,  blooming  woman  of  five-and -twenty, 
weighing  near  two  hundred  pounds,  and  effervescing 
all  over  with  little  enthusiasms,  astonishments,  and 
admirations.  She  was  stuffed  so  full  of  good-nature, 
that,  had  this  element  been  eliminated  from  her,  there 
would  have  been  little  but  skin  and  bone  left.  She 
was  not  a  beauty,  though  her  features  had  no  espe 
cial  fault,  and  their  expression  was  beyond  criticism. 
She  was  very  rosy,  very  wide  across  the  face,  and 
her  hair  of  a  reddish,  sandy  hue,  was  of  somewhat 
scanty  growth,  and  was  smoothed  down  close  to  her 
head.  She  wore  diamond  ear-rings  in  her  little 


156  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

round  ears,  and  on  a  finger  of  one  of  her  fat,  reddish 
hands  she  wore  two  rings,  one  given  to  her  by  the 
professor  before  their  marriage,  and  one  —  a  plain 
gold  one  —  on  the  occasion  of  that  ceremony.  Her 
dress  and  bonnet,  like  Nell's,  were  black,  but  much 
more  sumptuous  than  the  latter's  in  matter  of  fringes 
and  trappings.  These,  and  other  details,  Nell  had 
opportunity  to  notice  before  the  carriage  drew  up  at 
the  door  of  a  handsome  brick  house  on  a  side  street, 
and  Susan  exclaimed,  "Well,  here  we  are,  at 
home  !  " 

Not  being  accustomed  to  think  aloud,  Nell  did  not 
express  in  words,  whatever  surprise  and  curiosity  the 
interior  of  this  strange  house,  with  its  novel  appoint 
ments  and  ways,  may  have  inspired  her  with,  —  she 
did  not  even  ask  her  hostess  whether  she  always 
dined  in  the  evening  instead  of  the  middle  of  the 
day;  but  ate  what  was  given  to  her  with  a  good 
appetite,  and  confined  her  speech  to  answering  the 
questions  which  still  continued  to  bubble  up  out  of 
the  inexhaustible  Susan.  These  questions  need  not 
be  repeated  here,  for  Susan  did  not  belong  to  the 
Socratic  school  of  interrogators  ;  she  inquired  about 
such  unphilosophic  matters  as  where  Nell  got  her 
lunch,  how  she  liked  the  Palisades,  whether  New 
York  came  up  to  her  expectations,  and  so  forth.  As 


SUSAN  WAYNE.  157 

to  New  York,  Nell  might  have  answered,  that  it  sat- 
eified  her  in  one  way,  —  that  it  was  large  enough  to 
conceal  her  effectually  from  Warren  Bell.  She 
actually  said  nothing  of  the  kind,  however;  she  had 
never  said  anything  about  her  love-romance  to  any 
one,  and  was  not  inclined  to  begin  her  confidences 
just  now.  She  showed  Susan  just  so  much  of  her 
mind  as  Susan  expected  to  see,  and  kept  the  rest  to 
herself. 

"We  are  going  to  have  a  perfectly  splendid  time," 
observed  Susan,  at  last ;  "  and  it  will  all  be  owing 
to  you  ;  at  least,  I'm  sure  I  couldn't  manage  anything 
properly  without  you.  You  dear  girl,  it  does  my  heart 
good  to  see  you,  sitting  there  so  quiet  and  handsome, 
and  so  like  your  old  self,  —  or  your  young  self,  I 
suppose  I  ought  to  say.  Just  think,  ten  years  ago  ! 
What  perfect  children  we  were  !  But  when  we  are  to 
gether,  I  don't  feel  hardly  a  bit  changed, —  do  you? 
Of  course,  the  death  of  my  dear  husband  made  a  great 
change  for  me,  and  I'm  sure  I  never  can  get  over  it ; 
for,  thougli  he  was  so  much  older  than  I,  we  were 
the  most  perfect  companions,  and  he  was  just  as  play 
ful  and  youthful  as  a  boy,  in  his  leisure  times.  We 
were  so  happy,"  she  added,  wiping  her  kind  little 
eyes,  "and  I  do  wish  you  could  have  known  him,  Nell ! 
I'm  sure  you  would  have  admired  him,  and  he  would 


158  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

have  fallen  quite  in  love  with  you ;  any  man  would 
do  that,  though,  if  you  gave  him  a  chance.  I  used 
to  be  sorry  sometimes  that  I  wasn't  handsome,  for  his 
sake  ;  but  he  didn't  mind,  he  used  to  take  everything 
in  the  sweetest  way.  I  do  believe  he  was  the  wisest 
and  best  man  in  the  world,  and  I  only  wish  I  could 
have  understood  more  what  he  was  doing,  —  his 
works,  you  know.  He  had  the  most  magnificent 
plans  ;  and  it  would  have  been  a  great  thing  for  the 
world  if  he  could  have  lived  to  carry  them  out.  I 
dare  say  you  might  understand  something  about  his 
manuscripts  if  you  were  to  look  them  over ;  they 
must  be  very  interesting,  and  there's  enough  of 
them,  almost,  to  fill  a  room.  Perhaps  we'll  look 
them  over  some  day,  and  you  might  be  able  to  edit 
some  of  them  for  the  press.  I'm  sure  I  shall  envy 
you  if  you  do  !  But  what  I  thought  of  occupying 
myself  with,  the  rest  of  my  life  is  something  very 
different  from  that,  and  more  suited  to  my  scope,  as 
my  dear  husband  used  to  call  it ;  though,  to  be  sure, 
when  I  began  to  look  it  up,  I  found  it  was  not 
nearly  so  easy  as  I  had  supposed,  and  then  I  didn't 
know  what  I  should  do,  until  you  came  into  my 
head,  dear,  and  then  I  was  sure  it  would  be  all 
right,  for  you  always  know  how  to  manage  every 
thing." 


SUSAN  WAYNE. 


"If  it's  a  farm,  perhaps  I  might,"  said  Nell;  "but 
I  don't  know  much  else." 

"Well,  it  isn't  a  farm,"  replied  Susan,  "though 
I'm  sure  I  wish  it  could  be  connected  with  a  farm  in 
some  way  :  it  would  be  so  much  nicer  for  the  poor 
women  ;  but  I  suppose  it  will  have  to  be  some 
where  in  New  York,  or  very  near,  else  none  of  them 
would  find  out  about  it  ;  and  of  course  it's  very 
important  that  it  should  be  easy  for  them  to  get  at, 
you  know.  But  then  one  difficulty  was,  that  land 
in  the  city  is  so  expensive  ;  and,  though  my  husband 
was  quite  well  off,  there  wasn't  enough  to  do  more 
than  a  very  little.  But  I  spoke  about  it  to  Uncle 
Joseph  (I  call  him  uncle,  though  really  he's  only 
the  brother  of  my  husband's  brother's  wife  ;  but  he's 
the  best  man  in  New  York,  and  can  do  anything  in 
politics  and  such  things  ;  and  you  know  everything 
is  done  by  politics  here,  though  I'm  sure  I  don't 
know  how)  ;  well,  so  Uncle  Joseph  was  just  as  kind 
and  good  as  he  could  be  about  it,  and  took  the 
greatest  interest  in  it,  as  he  always  does  about  any 
thing  to  benefit  unfortunate  people,  —  all  the  poor 
unfortunate  people  in  New  York  know  him  and  love 
him,  though  he  has  enemies,  I  believe  ;  but  they 
must  be  very  wicked  people  ;  —  well,  and  so  he  said 
that  the  best  way  to  do  would  be  to  get  the  legisla- 


160  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

ture  to  do  something,  and  make  the  city  give  us  the 
land,  and  let  us  have  an  appropriation  (he  called 
it)  to  help  build  the  house  ;  and  then  what  remained 
to  do  wouldn't  be  so  very  expensive." 

"  What  is  it  you  are  going  to  do  ?  "  Nell  inquired. 
"Is  it  a  hospital?" 

"Oh  !  to  be  sure,  I  haven't  told  you  yet,  have  I? 
But  I'm  coming  to  it ;  only  I  never  seem  able  to  tell 
a  thing  straight,  as  other  people  do.  You  see,  the 
way  I  first  came  to  think  of  it  was  this  :  When 
I  was  married,  my  husband  said  I  must  have  a 
lady's-maid  to  help  me  with  my  toilet,  and  do  all 
sorts  of  little  special  things  for  me  ;  so  I  advertised 
for  one  in  the  newspapers,  and  you've  no  idea,  Nell, 
how  many  people  came,  — and  most  of  them  were 
the  strangest  creatures,  —  I'm  sure  I  didn't  know 
there  were  such  in  the  world.  But  at  last  one 
came,  and  she  was  very  nice  indeed,  and  quite 
lady-like ;  she  was  just  what  I  wanted,  and  I 
thought  I  was  very  lucky  to  get  her.  She  was 
about  twenty,  and  quite  good-looking,  with  bright- 
brown  hair  and  blue  eyes  ;  and  just  as  neat  and 
quiet  and  well-behaved  as  she  could  be.  She  was 
English,  and  she  told  me  she  was  the  daughter  of  a 
physician  in  London,  and  he  was  interested  in  some 
speculation  here,  and  came  over  to  see  about  it ; 


SUSAN  WAYNE.  161 

and  then  he  died,  and  everything  went  wrong,  and 
she  was  left  to  do  the  best  she  could  for  herself. 
Well,  I  engaged  her,  of  course,  and  she  couldn't 
have  suited  me  better  if  I'd  hunted  all  over  Amer 
ica  for  her;  she  knew  all  I  wanted  without  my 
having  to  tell  her ;  and,  really,  she  knew  a  great 
deal  more  than  I  did  about  things  that  belong  to  a 
lady's  dress  and  establishment,  and  all  that.  You 
know  the  English  are  brought  up  to  understand 
those  things  more  thoroughly  than  we  are,  or  than  I 
was,  at  any  rate.  We  were  more  like  friends  than 
like  mistress  and  maid,  and  I  got  so  fond  of  her  I'd 
have  done  anything  for  her;  and  she  had  some 
friends  here,  —  people  that  her  father  used  to  know, 
—  and  she  used  to  go  to  see  them  once  in  a  while, 
and  sometimes  she  would  ask  me  if  she  might  stay 
all  night,  and  of  course  I  always  let  her.  I  sup 
pose  1  ought  to  have  been  more  careful  about  her, 
she  was  so  young  and  so  pretty  ;  and  I  always  say 
that  it  was  my  fault  more  than  hers ;  but,  however 
it  was,  I  noticed  at  last  that  she  was  very  low- 
spirited,  and  I  asked  her  about  it,  and  for  a  long 
time  she  put  me  off;  but  at  last  she  burst  into  tears, 
and  then  it  all  came  out.  I  declare,  I  was  so  sorry, 
I  didn't  know  what  to  do  !  "  exclaimed  Susan ;  and 
two  tears  ran  down  her  broad  cheeks  as  she  spoke. 


1G2  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

Nell  looked  at  her  friend  with  a  grave  sympathy, 
and  by  an  involuntary  movement  showed  that  she 
understood  the  nature  of  the  trouble.  The  color 
slowly  deepened  in  her  sensitive  face.  ,  "  What  be 
came  of  her?''  she  asked. 

"  He  had  promised  to  marry  her ;  but  he  was  a 
good-for-nothing  wretch  !  "  exclaimed  Susan  vehe 
mently.  "  At  first  I  wanted  to  have  her  stay  with 
me ;  but  my  husband  said  that  would  not  do,  and 
the  poor  girl  herself  wanted  to  be  away  somewhere. 
So  then  I  set  to  work  to  find  an  establishment  where 
she  could  go.  I  visited  a  good  many  of  them,  and 
I  suppose  they  are  managed  as  well  as  could  be  ex 
pected ;  but,  oh,  dear!  they  made  my  heart  ache. 
At  a  time  like  that  a  woman  ought  to  feel  that  she 
is  cared  for,  if  ever  she  is  to  feel  so,  in  the  world  ; 
for  they  have  their  punishment  all  the  rest  of  their 
lives.  But  it  was  all  so  business-like,  and  mechani 
cal,  and  mathematical,  —  and  you  know  I  never 
could  bear  mathematics  !  So  at  last  I  just  hired  a 
room  and  a  nurse  for  her,  and  went  myself  to  see 
her  as  often  as  I  could.  Well,  my  dear,  when  the 
baby  was  born,  it  lived  only  a  few  days.  There  I 
I  always  —  act  like  a  fool  —  when  I  —  think  of  it. 
One  hears  so  often  about  such  things,  and  always  it 
seems  as  if  the  woman  must  be  so  wicked ;  but  I'm 


SUSAN"  WAYNE.  1G3 

sure  there's  something  to  be  said  on  the  other  side. 
And  a  dear  little  baby,  Nell,  — think  of  it?  Oh, 
if  I  could  only  have  had  a  little  baby  like  that ! 
Isn't  it  strange  how  things  go  ?  A  baby  would  have 
been  such  a  blessing  to  me,  and  it  was  nothing  but 
ruin  and  disgrace  to  her.  It  does  seem  to  me  some 
times  as  if  God  miff  lit  have  changed  things  a  little." 

O  O  O 

It  had  never  occurred  to  Nell  to  question  God's 
wisdom ;  religion  was  not  an  intellectual  question 
with  her.  "Perhaps  such  things  will  be  better 
when  the  world  is  better,"  she  said. 

"  We  offered  to  send  the  poor  girl  home  to  her 
friends,"  continued  Susan,  "  but  she  wouldn't  go  ; 
she  said  she  had  no  friend  now  but  me.  She  went 
out  West  finally,  —  there  was  an  opening  there,  — 
and  I  have  never  heard  of  her  since.  But  the 
reason  I  told  you  all  this  was  because  I  wanted  you 
to  know  what  made  me  first  think  of  establishing 
some  kind  of  place  here  where  women  who  have 
been  unfortunate  could  go,  and  be  taken  care  of 
nicely,  as  if  they  were  at  home.  And  I  thought  it 
should  be  not  for  the  poor  sort  of  women,  but  for 
the  better  class,  —  the  well-educated,  lady-like  ones  ; 
for  their  suffering  is  so  much  greater,  their  shame 
and  all  that ;  and  (though  it  isn't  always  thought  so) 
I  believe  their  temptations  are  often  greater  and 


164  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

more  difficult,  too.  And,  besides,  there  are  plenty 
of  places  already  for  the  poorer  classes,  but  none 
especially  for  the  other;  and  that  is  one  reason, 
perhaps,  why  they  so  often  commit  greater  crimes 
to  conceal  or  escape  from  the  first  one.  I'm  sure  I 
pity  them  all  just  alike  ;  but  one  has  to  choose  whom 
one  will  help,  you  know." 

"Are  there  so  many?"  said  Nell,  in  a  musing 
tone. 

ff  But  if  Uncle  Joseph  can  only  do  what  he  expects 
for  us  we  shall  be  sure  to  succeed ;  and  then,  my 
dear,  what  I  hope  is  that  you  will  give  me  advice, 
and  not  let  me  do  anything  wrong  or  foolish,  because 
you  always  know  what  is  best  and  right ;  and  you 
can  arrange  everything  in  an  orderly  and  nice  way, 
when  I  should  only  make  a  muddle  if  I  were  left  to 
myself.  I'll  do  the  working  part,  I  mean,  but  you 
give  the  directions  what  shall  be  done,  and  how  to 
do  it.  Do  you  think  you'd  like  to  help  ?  or  shouldn't 
you  care  for  it?  " 

"  I  should  care  for  it.  I  will  help  all  I  can." 
said  Nell  Anthony,  with  warmth.  "I  can't  do  much, 
—  you  are  mistaken  about  that,  — but  I  can  do 
something,  and  with  all  my  heart." 

"  Then  it's  all  right ;  and  to-morrow,  or  as  soon  as 
you  are  rested,  we'll  go  and  see  Uncle  Joseph"  — 


SUSAN  WAYNE.  165 

«  Who  is  he?  "  Nell  asked. 

"  Oh,  of  course !  His  name  is  Muhlbach,  — 
Judge  Muhlbach  ;  but  I'm  so  in  the  habit  of  calling 
him  Uncle  Joseph  that  I  never  think  of  that.  I 
want  you  to  like  him  as  much  as  I  do,  Nell,  —  and 
I'm  sure  you  will, — because  you're  both  so  good." 


166  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

BENEVOLENCE. 

THEY  did  not  see  Judge  Muhlbach,  or  Uncle 
Joseph,  for  some  weeks,  for  he  was  away  on  busi 
ness  at  Albany  when  they  called,  and  was  afterwards 
much  occupied  with  his  duties  on  the  Compensation 
Fund  Commission.  During  this  interval  Nell  An 
thony  made  some  progress  towards  getting  ac 
quainted  with  New  York.  She  and  Susan  went 
anywhere  they  liked,  Susan's  physical  aspect  being 
ample  protection  against  all  ordinary  perils,  and,  if 
anything  was  really  to  happen,  Nell's  courage  and 
resources  were  to  be  relied  on  to  grapple  with  it. 
No  mishaps  occurred,  however,  and  the  two  friends 
enjoyed  themselves  greatly.  Nell  liked  to  ride  on 
the  elevated  railroad  as  much  as  anything  else,  es 
pecially  on  the  lofty  portions  beyond  the  upper  end 
of  the  park,  which  always  caused  the  robust  Susan 
to  turn  pale.  Susan  was  fond  of  shopping,  and  of 
driving  up  and  down  the  avenue  ;  and  Nell  accom 
panied  her  with  pleasure,  though  she  could  never 
rid  herself  of  an  apprehension  that  she  might  run 


BENEVOLENCE.  167 

across  Warren  Bell.  As  a  matter  of  fact  she  saw 
him  twice.  Once  he  got  out  of  a  car,  on  the 
"elevated,"  just  as  she  was  getting  into  another. 

She  fancied  he  looked  grave  and  rather  depressed. 
He  had  a  newspaper  in  his  hand,  and  was  too  much 
preoccupied  to  see  her.  The  other  time  he  was 
talking  to  a  stylishly-dressed  young  man  on  the 
steps  of  the  Exchange  Club  ;  and  Nell  did  not  like 
the  looks  of  his  companion  at  all.  Warren  was 
evidently  very  busy  about  something.  Nell  won 
dered  whether,  among  all  his  thoughts,  he  ever  had 
a  thought  about  her. 

One  day  Susan  said  that  Uncle  Joseph  had 
written  her  that  he  would  be  at  home  all  the  after 
noon,  and  had  something  to  say  about  her  affair. 
It  was  nearly  three  o'clock  when  they  set  out ; 
and,  the  distance  being  inconsiderable,  they  went  on 
foot  instead  of  taking  the  carriage.  As  the  door 
opened  in  response  to  Susan's  ring,  Nell,  who 
entered  behind  her  friend,  saw  a  man's  figure  ad 
vancing  towards  her  down  the  hall.  She  was  so 
startled  at  this  apparition  that,  for  a  moment,  she 
forgot  to  pull  down  her  veil,  and  the  effort  she 
made  to  conceal  herself  behind  Susan's  ample  back 
served  only  to  draw  the  young  man's  attention  to 
her.  After  a  momentary  hesitation,  however,  he 


1C8  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

went  on,  and  the  door  was  closed.  Nell  had  bitten 
her  upper  lip  smartly,  but  no  other  disaster  had 
happened.  Whether  or  not  he  had  recognized  her 
she  could  not  decide  ;  his  near-sightedness  may  have 
prevented  it,  at  least  in  so  far  as  to  make  him  think 
he  had  made  a  mistake.  But,  while  Nell's  cheeks 
were  tingling  with  the  agitation  of  the  episode,  she 
could  not  help  perceiving  the  absurd  artificiality  of 
the  circumstances  which  rendered  a  meeting  between 
her  and  Warren  Bell  like  an  encounter  between 
enemies  who  had  vowed  never  to  speak  to  each 
other.  It  was  her  own  doing;  but,  though  she 
acknowledged  the  folly  of  it,  she  could  not  bring 
herself  to  be  wiser.  In  the  midst  of  her  disturb 
ance  she  found  something  annoying  in  the  almost 
obtrusive  unconsciousness  of  the  blameless  Susan. 

Judge  Muhlbach,  or  Uncle  Joseph,  received  the 
ladies  with  a  genial  courtesy,  which  culminated  in 
kissing  Susan's  cheek;  and  perhaps  it  was  only 
something  in  Nell's  expression  that  deprived  her  of 
a  similar  testimony  of  good- will.  He  apologized 
for  the  presence  of  tobacco-smoke  in  the  room  with 
a  mental  arraignment,  perhaps,  of  the  unkind  des 
tiny  which  seemed  set  upon  defrauding  him  of  a 
consolatory  cigar.  He  addressed  some  compliment 
ary  remarks,  of  an  elderly  avuncular  flavor,  to  Nell ; 


BENEVOLENCE.  169 

and  then,  turning  to  Susan,  he  proceeded  to  the 
business  of  the  meeting. 

"  I  am  pleased  to  inform  you,  Susie,  my  dear, 
that  your  benevolent  designs  are  in  a  fair  way  to  be 
realized,  and  much  more  promptly  than  might  have 
been  expected.  The  Peter  and  Paul  Society,  occu 
pying  a  building  in  the  north-west  part  of  the  island, 
has  lately  become  insolvent  (owing,  I  presume,  to 
over-indulgence  in  the  principle  of  robbing  Peter  to 
pay  Paul) ,  and  their  premises  are  for  sale  or  to  let. 
I  should  recommend  renting  them  for  a  term  of 
years,  with  privilege  of  renewal,  and,  perhaps,  op 
tion  of  purchase.  The  house  has  ample  accommo 
dation  for  a  beginning,  and  could  be  enlarged ;  it 
commands  a  view  of  the  North  river,  and  stands  in 
its  own  enclosed  grounds.  Immediate  possession. 
But  you  can  see  for  yourself,"  added  the  Judge, 
handing  over  the  memorandum  from  which  he  had 
been  reading.  "  Now,  why  wouldn't  that  do  for 
us?"  he  asked  ;  "or  shall  we  look  farther?  " 

"  I'm  sure  there  couldn't  be  anything  nicer,"  ex 
claimed  Susan  ;  "  don't  you  think  so,  Nell?  " 

"What  is  the  rent?"  Nell  inquired,  turning  her 
eyes  on  the  Judge. 

"  Ah  !  now  here  we  have  a  practical  head  ;  I  like 
that,"  he  rejoined,  with  a  smile  and  a  nod.  "And 


170  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

that  brings  me  to  a  proposition  I  was  about  to  make. 
What  sum  had  you  thought  of  as  an  endowment  of 
this  enterprise,  Susie?" 

w  Oh  !  would  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  be  any 
good?"  returned  that  lady. 

"Well,  I  should  say  so!"  cried  Uncle  Joseph, 
chuckling.  "  What  says  Miss  Anthony  ?  But  I 
ought  to  tell  you,  my  dear,  that  such  an  endowment 
will  lay  you  open,  in  some  quarters,  to  the  charge 
of  being  a  crank.  However,  passing  by  that  for 
the  moment,  and  coming  to  my  proposition,  there  is 
no  necessity  for  your  bearing  so  large  a  proportion 
of  the  financial  burdens.  What  you  want,  I  take 
it,  is  to  obtain  control  of  the  concern,  — to  have  its 
management  in  your  hands,  and  to  order  things  ac 
cording  to  your  own  good  pleasure.  But  to  do  all 
that  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  is  not  necessary, 
nor  the  half  of  it.  Why  not  allow  a  number  of 
other  ladies  of  position  and  means  to  associate  them 
selves  with  you,  each  contributing  amounts  which 
will  be  relatively  small,  but  the  aggregate  of  which 
will  exceed  any  possible  individual  donation?  The 
institution  would  thus  be  placed  upon  an  impreg 
nable  pecuniary  basis,  and  would  leave  you  with 
plenty  of  money  to  carry  out  any  details  which 
might  strike  your  fancy,  —  say,  in  the  furnishing  of 


BENEVOLENCE.  171 

rooms,  the  adornment  of  the  grounds,  and  so  on.  I 
know  a  number  of  good  women  who  would  be 
proud  to  be  connected  with  such  a  scheme,  and 
whose  companionship  and  counsel  you  would,  I 
think,  often  find  pleasant  and  useful.  I  myself," 
added  Uncle  Joseph,  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  and 
placing  his  thumbs  in  the  armholes  of  his  waistcoat, 
"would  claim  the  privilege  of  contributing  ten  thou 
sand  dollars,  —  not  in  my  own  name,  for  I  have  not 
the  good  fortune  to  belong  to  your  sex,  ladies,  — 
but  in  that  of  my  married  sister.  And  I  need  not 
add  that  whatever  business  or  legal  matters  may  in 
cidentally  arise  I  should  wish  to  regard  as  falling 
within  my  especial  province." 

Susan  looked  at  Nell  with  a  beaming  smile. 
"  Didn't  I  tell  you  he  was  the  best  man  in  the 
world?  "  she  said,  with  an  air  of  unlimited  satisfac 
tion. 

Nell  looked  down  and  colored. 

"  Miss  Anthony  is  not  going  to  commit  herself  too 
soon,"  said  Uncle  Joseph,  with  an  amiable  chuckle. 
"But,  seriously,  my  dear  young  lady,  if  you  have 
any  suggestion,  you  would  best  show  your  good  dis 
position,  in  the  matter  by  making  it  with  all  possi 
ble  explicitness." 

"I  will  say  what  I  think  if  you  wish  it,"  said 


172  LOVE-  OR  A  NAME. 

Nell,  looking  up.  "  It  seemed  to  me  that  this  insti 
tution  is  not  likely  ever  to  have  a  great  many 
inmates.  It  was  not  to  be  for  poor  women,  you 
know,  but  for  persons  who  have  been  brought  up 
more  as  you  and  I  have,  Susan.  For  a  long  time, 
perhaps,  — until  it  gets  to  be  well  known,  — there 
will  be  hardly  any  one.  So  we  do  not  need  a  large 
place,  —  not  at  first,  at  any  rate,  — not  larger  than 
you  might  support  by  yourself,  Susan.  And  if 
other  ladies  contribute,  though  it  might  give  them 
no  legal  right  to  interfere  with  you,  I  think  you 
would  find  yourself  less  free  than  you  would  like. 
By  and  by,  if  people  really  came  to  take  an  interest 
in  it,  they  would  leave  bequests  to  it  in  their  wills. 
But  I  think,  if  I  were  you,  I  would  not  accept 
money  from  any  one  if  it  puts  you  under  any  kind 
of  obligation  to  them." 

"Miss  Anthony  would  have  it  a  close  corpora 
tion,  I  see,"  remarked  Uncle  Joseph,  lifting  his 
thick  eyebrows  humorously.  "  And,  upon  my  word, 
my  dear  young  lady,  now  that  I  have  heard  your 
statement,  I  am  inclined  to  agree  with  you.  To 
tell  you  the  truth,"  he  added,  smiling,  "  I  was  a 
little  bit  anxious  about  Susan.  Yes,  Susie,  I  shall 
make  a  clean  breast  of  it.  I  was  afraid  that  if  you 
set  out  to  run  this  thing  alone  you  would  get  into 


BENE  VOLENCE.  173 

deep  water,  and  I  thought  the  best  thing  I  could  do 
for  you  would  be  to  get  a  dozen  or  so  first-class 
women  to  step  in  and  take  a  hand  with  you,  and 
pull  you  through  the  tight  places.  But,  now  that  I 
have  had  the  pleasure  of  making  Miss  Anthony's 
acquaintance,  I  am  disposed  to  reconsider  my  judg 
ment.  Miss  Anthony,"  continued  he,  turning  upon 
the  quiet  New  England  girl  the  full  refulgence  of 
his  metropolitan  geniality,  "  has  got  a  mind  and  will 
of  her  own,  which  quite  relieves  me  from  my  pre 
occupation.  I'll  venture  to  say,  Susie  dear,  that 
you  will  be  perfectly  safe  as  long  as  she  stands  by 
you.  And  her  remarks  are  just  in  themselves, 
besides.  The  —  ah  —  attendance  is  not  likely  to 
be  overwhelmingly  large  (having  in  view  the  pecu 
liar  conditions)  for  some  time  to  come.  That  is  a 
fact  which  had  not  been  sufficiently  brought  under 
my  attention  before.  Then  we  will  consider  the 
Peter-and-Paul  scheme  off  ?  " 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  Susan,  much  per 
plexed  to  find  herself  even  within  a  measurable 
distance  of  being  called  on  to  decide  between  two 
persons,  both  of  whom  had  her  entire  confidence. 
"But  I  do  hope,  Uncle  Joseph,  she  continued, 
detecting  an  avenue  of  compromise,  "  that  you  will 
attend  to  all  our  business  for  us,  whatever  happens. 


174  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

What  you  say  about  Nell  is  all  true,  and  she  was 
just  as  wise  and  splendid  when  we  were  at  school 
together  ten  years  ago.  But  she  isn't  a  lawyer 
after  all,  nor  a  politician  either;  and  I'm  sure  there 
are  a  great  many  important  things  that  we  could 
never  get  right  without  your  help.  You  will  be 
with  us  whatever  happens,  won't  you?" 

"  Well,  well,  my  dear,  you  know  how  devoted  I 
am  to  you;  but  how  can  I  tell,"  said  the  Judge, 
archly,  "whether  Miss  Nell  doesn't  include  me 
in  her  suspicions  of  intermeddlers  ?  Perhaps  she 
thinks  I  am  plotting  to  get  the  reins  in  my  own 
hands,  and  intend  to  administer  the  place  for  my 
personal  ends  —  eh  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  suspicions  of  wrong  in  any  one,"  said 
Nell,  simply.  "But  Susan  is  my  friend,  and  I 
wanted  to  help  her  think.  " 

"And  I  will  make  bold  to  tell  you,  though  on  so 
short  an  acquaintance,  that  your  friendship  is  a 
thing  worth  having,"  exclaimed  the  Judge,  bending 
towards  her  and  speaking  with  emphasis.  Then, 
changing  his  tone,  he  added,  with  a  smile,  "  And  I 
hope,  in  the  course  of  time,  you  will  think  me  not 
unworthy  of  a  little  of  it.  Well,  now,  Susie,  for 
the  present  our  affairs  are  in  suspense.  But  I  ex 
pect  I  shall  have  some  new  ideas  in  a  few  days. 


BENE  VOLENCE.  175 

In  fact  I'm  hardly  up  to  concert-pitch  this  afternoon. 
Just  before  you  came  in  I  had  been  set  upon  by  a 
rascal  who  —  ah  —  wanted  to  beg  or  bully  me  into 
countenancing  a  nefarious  transaction,  and  he  suc 
ceeded  in  vexing  me  so  much  as  to  spoil  the  good 
effects  of  my  luncheon." 

"  Oh  !  I  remember  now,  we  met  a  person  in  the 
hall,"  said  Susan  ;  "that  must  have  been  he.  Was 
he  a  rascal?  He  looked  quite  gentlemanly." 

"That  is  just  where  the  rascals  get  ahead  of  the 
honest  men,"  said  the  Judge,  chuckling.  "How 
ever,  there  are  many  worse  fellows  than  he  about." 

Susan  and  Nell  had  both  risen  while  the  latter 
sentences  were  being  spoken,  and  were  standing 
near  the  door,  Nell  being  on  the  threshold.  The 
Judge  now  stepped  forward  and  bestowed  upon 
Susan  a  farewell  kiss,  and  looking  past  her  he  en 
countered  the  eyes  of  Nell  fixed  full  upon  him.  It 
was  such  a  look  as  scarcely,  in  all  his  varied  career, 
the  learned  Judge  had  been  called  upon  to  sustain  ; 
it  actually  flashed  with  concentrated  indignation  and 
scorn.  The  poor  old  gentleman  was  the  more  taken 
aback,  insomuch  as  he  was  utterly  at  a  loss  to  ac 
count  for  this  sudden  appearance  of  resentment ;  he 
would  not  have  expected  a  quarter  as  much  if  he  had 
kissed  Nell  Anthony  instead  of  Susan  Wayne.  In- 


176  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

deed,  he  had  a  moment  before  been  inwardly  debating 
the  feasibility  of  marking  in  some  such  way  his  admira 
tion  and  approval  of  Susan's  friend  ;  but  the  purpose 
was  shrivelled  up  like  straw  in  a  furnace.  He  re 
covered  himself  enough  to  say,  "  And  good  day  to 
you,  Miss  Anthony  !  "  and  then  he  was  left  alone. 

"  Isn't  he  perfectly  lovely  ? "  cried  Susan,  as  she 
and  Nell  emerged  into  the  outer  air. 

Nell,  by  putting  a  constraint  upon  herself,  man 
aged  to  make  no  reply.  She  was  not  in  a  humor 
for  eulogy,  though  she  was  in  capital  trim  for 
action,  had  there  been  anything  to  do ;  and  she 
thought  to  herself  that  there  was  likely  to  be  some 
thing  to  do,  before  long,  in  the  way  of  protecting 
Warren  Bell  against  respectable  villains,  who 
called  him  "  rascal  "  behind  his  back. 

Meanwhile,  the  respectable  villain  in  question, 
after  taking  a  few  turns  up  and  down  the  room,  had 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  he  must  have  misin 
terpreted  Miss  Anthony's  expression,  —  at  any  rate, 
so  far  as  any  reference  to  himself  was  concerned. 
And  as,  with  a  sigh,  he  lit  his  long-deferred  cigar, 
he  murmured  half  aloud,  "  What  a  monstrous  good- 
looking  little  thing  she  is  !  and  as  smart  as  a  steel 
trap,  too  !  Why,  she  saw  through  the  whole  game 
in  a  moment !  By  the  Lord,  she  would  be  worth 


BENEVOLENCE.  177 

ten  thousand  dollars  to  any  man  with  the  grit  to 
capture  her!  Well,  I  must  get  her  alone  some 
day,  and  then  we'll  see  I " 

There  are  few  spectacles  more  pathetic  than  the 
infatuation  of  the  wise. 


178  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TOM   PEEKSKILL. 

ONE  morning  late  in  the  autumn  Tom  Peekskill, 
on  his  way  down  town,  stopped  in  at  the  Exchange 
Club  to  look  in  his  letter-box.  He  took  out  of  it  a 
square  envelope,  of  rough  blue  paper  addressed  in 
a  female  hand.  He  opened  it,  and,  still  standing 
before  the  box,  glanced  through  the  contents, 
which  seemed  to  occasion  him  no  particular  de 
light. 

In  the  midst  of  his  reading  some  one  laid  a  hand 
upon  his  shoulder.  Tom  started  very  perceptibly, 
crumpling  the  letter  up  in  his  hand.  When  he  saw 
that  the  hand  belonged  to  his  little  friend,  Bob 
Austin,  he  asked  him,  rather  sulkily,  what  the  devil 
he  meant  by  acting  like  a  sheriff  ? 

"What  do  you  mean  by  jumping  like  a  bank- 
cashier?"  retorted  Bob,  laughing  loudly.  "I  say, 
Tom,  old  man,  I  and  four  others  are  going  to  take 
the  drag  at  two  o'clock  this  afternoon,  and  tool  it 
out  to  Scratch! t 'a.  Things  there  will  be  down  to  a 
fine  point.  You  know  the  racket,  you  old  Turk  ! 


TOM  PEEKS  KILL.  179 

You  will  just  make  up  the  half  dozen.     Two  o'clock, 
from  the  Brunswick." 

"  D —  it,  what  a  nuisance  ! "  cried  Tom,  peevishly. 
"Well,  I  can't  go,  that's  the  amount  of  it.  I've 

o-ot  to  meet  a  fellow  at  three  o'clock  on  partic'lar 

& 

business.     Just  my  luck  !  " 

"Got  to  meet  a  fellow,  eh?"  said  the  other, 
winking  his  little  fat  eye.  "  Oh,  come  off,  do ! 
Does  she  always  write  to  you  on  blue  note-paper  ? 
Don't  be  exclusive  —  bring  her  along  !  always  room 
for  one  more  !  " 

"  Go  to  the  devil,  will  you?  "  replied  Tom. 

"  No  use ;  you  must  set  'em  up ;  it's  a  fair 
catch!"  Bob  declared.  "Mine's  a  smash;  what's 

?M 
j^^^  . 

"  Set  'em  up  for  yourself,  if  you  like,  you  little 
whisky-skin,  you!  but  count  me  out;  I've  got 
business,  sure  enough,  and  I  don't  drink  till  it's 
over."  And,  in  spite  of  protestations,  Tom  left  his 
small  friend,  and  continued  his  journey  towards 
Wall  street.  As  he  walked  along  he  tore  the  blue 
letter  into  small  pieces,  which  he  kept  in  his  hand 
until  he  came  to  a  belated  ash-barrel,  into  which  he 
dropped  them. 

"  It  is  a  nuisance,  and  no  mistake  !  "  he  muttered 
to  himself.  "  This  is  the  second  time  I've  been 


180  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

done  out  of  a  good  spree,  and  it's  sure  to  be  about 
some  nonsense.  I  do  wish  the  blessed  creature  had 
more  brains !  If  I  was  a  fashionable  doctor  it 
couldn't  be  worse." 

Early  in  the  afternoon  he  left  his  office,  and  took 
a  car  up-town.  He  lived  in  an  apartment-building 
not  far  from  Union  Square.  The  suites  comprised 
from  four  to  seven  rooms  each,  and  were  expen 
sively  got  up.  They  were  occupied  chiefly  by 
single  men,  though  there  were  also  one  or  two 
families,  which  bestowed  a  useful  respectability 
upon  the  place.  Tom's  sitting-room  was  pervaded 
by  a  reminiscent  odor  of  good  cigars ;  the  walls 
were  adorned  with  foils  and  boxing-gloves,  and  with 
a  few  theatrical  portraits.  A  Turkey  rug  covered 
the  floor :  there  were  a  comfortable  sofa  and  two  or 
three  lounging-chairs.  There  was  an  open  fireplace, 
in  which  a  coal  fire  was  burning.  Tom,  on  entering, 
only  stayed  long  enough  to  make  some  changes  in 
his  dress,  and  then  sallied  forth  again  to  a  neighbor 
ing  livery-stable,  where  he  kept  his  horse.  Ten 
minutes  later  he  was  mounted,  and  on  his  way  to 
the  park ;  but,  instead  of  going  by  Fifth  avenue,  he 
chose  another  route,  two  or  three  blocks  farther  to 
the  left,  as  if  to  avoid  meeting  any  one.  By  three 
o'clock  he  had  reached  the  junction  of  Eighth  avenue 


TOM  PEEKS  KILL.  181 

and  Seventy-second  street,  and  there  he  halted,  and 
looked  eastward.  In  a  few  moments  there  appeared, 
cantering  down  the  street,  a  roan  horse,  with  a 
young  lady  on  his  back.  She  wore  a  blue  veil  tied 
over  her  face ;  but  of  course  Tom  knew  her.  The 
blue  veil  was  not  put  on  for  him.  He  turned  his 
horse,  and  they  rode  westward  side  by  side. 

"  Well,  little  Betsy,"  said  he,  with  a  jocose  air, 
"here  I  am,  you  see.  What's  the  good  word  to 
day?" 

"Don't  speak  that  way,"  she  replied.  "I'm  very 
unhappy." 

"  Unhappy  !  What  about,  pray  ?  Married  folks 
must  expect  to  have  their  little  crosses,  and"  — 

"  Yes  ;  but  "  —  she  interrupted,  and  stopped. 

"And,  as  I  was  going  to  say,  we  must  begin  to 
get  in  training  for  "  — 

"  Tom, "she  interrupted  him  again,  "unless  you  do 
something  soon  I  shall  do  something  that  you'll  call 
desperate.  I  can't  bear  it  much  longer.  You  don't 
know  how  it  is.  I  keep  thinking  and  thinking  all 
the  time  ;  and  I  never  used  to  think,  I  only  used  to 
enjoy  myself.  I  believe  you  like  to  make  me  miser 
able.  " 

"Now,  little  Betsy,  don't  be  stupid.  You  know 
it  would  spoil  our  game  if  we  were  to  hunt  up  a 


182  LOVE— OR  A  NAME, 

parson  before  the  time  comes.  As  it  is,  I  have  the 
old  man  under  my  thumb,  though  he  don't  know  it 
yet.  If  we  were  out  and  out  spliced,  all  our  trumps 
would  be  out,  and  it's  a  hundred  to  one  he'd  wash 
his  hands  of  you,  and  knock  me  higher  than  a  kite. 
But  as  it  is  we're  safe.  Oh,  trust  me  !  I  know 
the  world  !  If  I  don't  strike  him  for  a  million  at 
least,  I'm  a  fool  !  and  I'll  make  my  perquisites  off 
the  other  side  too.  Oh,  I'll  keep  you  in  grand  style, 
don't  you  fear  !  " 

"You  said,  last  spring,  Tom,  that,  if  I'd  elope 
with  you,  it  would  make  everything  all  right.  And 
I  said  I  would.  And  then  we  didn't  elope  at  all. 
And  now,  when  it's  so  different  from  anything  I  ever 
thought  of,  you  say  we  mustn't  get  married  yet,  else 
it  will  be  all  wrong.  I  don't  see  how  two  opposite 
things  can  both  be  true.  I  think  the  real  truth 
is,  that  I  have  loved  you  too  much  and  you  don't 
love  me  any  longer,  and  you're  just  putting  me  off, 
and  putting  me  off.  I  may  be  foolish,  Tom,  but  I'm 
a  woman  ;  and,  if  you  take  all  my  hope  away,  I  can 
make  you  sorry,  and  I  will !  " 

"  Now,  look  here,  Betsy,"  said  Tom  reining  his 
horse  nearer  to  her,  and  settling  his  hat  on  his  head, 
"  I'm  going  to  talk  straight  to  you.  I  know  you're 
no  fool,  and  to  prove  it  I'll  show  you  just  how  I'm 


TOM  PEEKSKILL.  183 

fixed.  As  to  what  I  said  last  spring,  that  was  all 
right  then  ;  but  circumstances  changed  it.  It  was  my 
fault,  of  course,  that  it  was  changed  ;  I  never  said  it 
wasn't ;  and  all  I  can  say  is  I  never  intended  it ;  but 
a  man  as  much  in  love  as  I  —  am,  will  sometimes 
run  away  with  himself.  Well,  then,  we  had  to  look 
out  for  what  was  the  best  thing  for  ourselves  ;  and, 
as  it  turned  out,  this  accident  made  our  case  even 
stronger  than  it  was  before.  He  might  have  kicked 
me  out,  as  his  son-in-law,  but  if  I  say  to  him  that, 
unless  he  does  so  and  so,  I  won't  be  his  son-in-law, 
he'll  come  down  like  a  coon  !  A  man  like  him  is 
about  as  tender-hearted  as  a  boa-constrictor ;  but, 
rather  than  be  disgraced,  they'd  kneel  down  and  kiss 
your  boots, — when  there's  no  one  looking  on." 

"  I  don't  see  what  makes  you  hate  my  father  so  ; 
he's  done  you  nothing  but  good,  and  helped  you 
everyway;  and  he's  a  gentleman,  and  my  father, 
and  is  always  kind  to  me ;  and  every  time  he's  kind 
to  me  it  makes  me  feel  more  wicked  and  ashamed. 
Why  do  you  want  to  injure  him  ?  Why  can't  we 
just  be  married,  and  tell  him  that  we  love  each 
other,  and  want  him  to  forgive  us?  He  would,  I 
know  ;  and  then  it  would  all  be  happy,  instead  of 
dangerous  and  miserable,  as  it  is  now." 

"Just  wait  till  I  get  through,"  said  Tom,  taking 


184  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

his  whip  in  his  right  hand  and  gesticulating  with 
the  butt  of  it,  "  and  then  you'll  see  the  whole  thing 
just  as  I  do.  The  way  it  began  was  this  :  When  I 
was  a  young  fellow,  without  much  sense,  and  very 
little  of  anything  else,  and  was  picking  up  whatever 
jobs  I  could  on  the  street,  I  happened  to  hear  of  a 
big  point.  There  was  a  stock  that  was  going  down 
like  a  stone  rolling  off  the  roof  of  a  house,  and 
everybody  was  unloading  like  mad  ;  but  my  point 
was,  that  the  stock  would  be  up  again  above  par  in 
two  days.  If  I  could  buy  a  few  hundred  of  that 
stock  right  off  I  was  a  made  man.  But  I  hadn't 
any  cash,  and,  what  was  worse,  being  a  new  man, 
without  any  backing,  I  hadn't  any  credit.  Well, 
just  as  I  was  cursing  my  luck,  and  ready  to  sell  my 
skin  for  a  couple  of  thousand  dollars,  along  came  a 
fellow  with  a  big  roll  of  greenbacks  in  his  hand,  and 
wanted  me  to  buy  some  grain  for  him.  I  counted 
his  money.  There  was  just  two  thousand  dollars 
—  no  more  and  no  less.  I  asked  him  how  soon 
he  wanted  his  grain?  He  said  he  was  in  no 
particular  hurry,  — I  might  take  the  best  of  the 
market  in  the  next  three  days.  I  took  his  money, 
gave  him  a  receipt,  and  told  him  that  in  three 
days  I'd  be  ready  for  him.  Then  I  did  the 
silliest  thing  I  ever  did  before  or  since :  I  went 


TOM  PEEKSKILL.  185 

and  looked  at  my  stock,  made  up  my  mind  it 
was  as  low  as  it  could  get  (it  was  at  twenty-one) , 
and  I  bought  my  two  thousand  dollars'  worth  then 
and  there,  with  the  other  fellow's  money.  Of 
course  I  expected  to  make  it  all  right  with  him 
when  the  rise  came.  But  I  hadn't  more  than  made 
my  purchase  when  some  one  tapped  me  on  the 
shoulder,  and  I  looked  round,  and  there  was  my 
man.  'I've  changed  my  mind  about  that  grain,'  he 
said,  'and  I'll  take  my  money  back.'  Well,  I  felt 
pretty  sick,  but  I  brassed  it  out,  and  told  him  he'd 
have  to  wait  till  the  third  day,  according  to  agree 
ment.  He  didn't  kick  as  much  as  I  expected,  but 
he  sort  of  looked  at  me  in  a  queer  way,  and,  says 
he,  'Very  well;  in  three  days,  then,'  and  walked 
off.  I  didn't  quite  like  the  aspect  of  things  ;  but  I 
made  up  my  mind  I'd  be  all  right  the  next  day,  and 
thought  no  more  of  him.  Next  day,  sure  enough, 
my  stock  began  to  go  up  like  a  balloon,  and  was  at 
forty  before  you  could  turn  round.  I  knew  it 
would  touch  at  least  three  times  that,  and  I  went  off 
quietly  and  got  my  lunch.  When  I  came  back,  the 
stock  was  falling  again ;  some  big  men,  they  said, 
had  been  unloading,  in  face  of  the  rise.  I  thought 
it  must  be  a  temporary  dodge,  and  I  waited.  Down 
it  went,  touched  twenty-one,  passed  it,  and  was  at 


186  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

ten  before  half-past  two  o'clock.  Then  I  saw  my 
game  was  up  ;  but  before  I  could  sell  out,  eight  was 
the  best  I  could  get.  I  was  a  ruined  man,  and 
worse  than  that,  for  I  had  to  meet  my  grain  man 
the  next  day.  I  thought  of  jumping  off  the  end  of 
a  pier,  and  various  things  ;  but  the  end  of  it  was, 
I  met  him.  And  then  I  found  out  who  he  was. 
That  man  was  Seth  Drayton,  your  father.  He  was 
the  man  who  was  engineering  the  stock  I  invested  in. 
He  suspected  me  of  knowing  too  much,  and,  to  make 
sure,  he  gave  me  that  two  thousand  dollars  for  grain. 
When  he  saw  he  had  me  hooked  he  just  checked  the 
rise,  and  made  me  out  a  swindler.  It  cost  him 
nothing ;  he  could  afford  to  hold  over  a  day  ;  but  it 
spoilt  me.  Well,  he  talked  to  me  that  day  as  I 
wouldn't  talk  to  a  dog,  and  told  me,  what  I  knew 
well  enough,  that  he  had  only  to  speak  ten  words 
and  I'd  be  in  quod,  and  never  able  to  show  my 
face  on  the  street  again.  I  was  only  waiting  till  he 
got  through  to  put  a  bullet  into  his  head  and  then 
into  my  own  ;  and  there  have  been  times,  since  then, 
when  I  wish  I'd  done  it.  But,  all  of  a  sudden,  he 
turned  round,  and  said  he'd  let  up  on  me  on  one 
condition.  The  amount  of  it  was,  if  I'd  be  hia 
puppet,  and  do  and  say  just  what  he  ordered,  and 
belong  to  him  body  and  soul,  he'd  say  no  more 


TOM  PEEKS  KILL.  187 

about  what  had  happened,  and  would  take  care  that 
I  had  plenty  to  live  on.  It  was  hard  lines  ;  but  I 
was  down  on  my  luck  and  I  accepted.  He  sat 
down  and  wrote  out  a  paper,  and  I  signed  it.  I've 
kept  my  contract  ever  since,  and  it  hasn't  always 
been  pleasant,  either ;  and  he  no  more  suspects  me 
now  than  he  does  himself.  But  you'd  better  believe 
I've  never  given  up  the  idea  of  getting  even  with 
him,  and  the  time's  not  far  off  now  when  I'll  do  it. 
From  what  I've  found  out,  and  from  what  you've 
told  me,  I  know  his  big  scheme  pretty  near  as  well 
as  he  does,  and  when  he's  all  ready  to  touch  it  off, 
I'll  make  my  terms  with  the  other  side  and  give 
away  the  whole  thing.  And  when  he  comes  raging- 
round  to  me  to  choke  the  life  out  of  me,  I'll  say, 
'  Hold  on  a  minute,  Mr.  Dray  ton,  if  you  please  ! 
How  about  your  daughter' —  Holloa  !  what  now?" 
During  the  recital  of  this  history  of  his  wrongs 
Tom  had  worked  himself  into  such  an  unwonted 
passion  that  he  had  forgotten  to  whom  he  was 
speaking,  if,  indeed,  he  remembered  that  he  had  any 
auditor.  He  was  uttering  all  his  stored-up  fury  and 
malice  of  years,  and  the  stream  of  his  wrath  had 
finally  swept  him  off  his  feet ;  and  he  was  recalled  to 
himself  only  by  hearing  a  panting  cry  from  Lizzie, 
who  had  pushed  the  veil  off  her  face,  and  was  quite 


188  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

white,  and  swayed  in  her  seat.  "  There  !  there  !  " 
he  said,  somewhat  alarmed.  "  You  mustn't  mind 
me.  I  don't  often  get  mad,  but  when  I  do  I  must 
talk.  I  don't  mean  more  than  half  of  it." 

Lizzie  recovered  herself  in  a  few  moments, 
enough  to  say  in  a  faint  and  husky  tone  ;  "  I  under 
stand  now  why  you  made  love  to  me ;  it  was  to  use 
me  for  your  revenge  on  father,  —  by  threatening 
him  with  putting  his  daughter  to  shame.  And  this 
is  what  I  have  given  everything  for  !  Seems  to  me 
I  had  better  die.  I  only  loved  you,  Tom,  and  I 
thought  we  should  be  so  happy !  Love  seemed  to 
make  everything  right." 

"  Upon  my  word  and  honor,  Betsy,  I  hadn't  an 
idea  of  this  when  I  first  met  you  and  got  smashed 
on  you.  But  one  thing  leads  to  another,  until  we 
find  ourselves  where  we  never  expected  to  be.  I 
didn't  sit  down  and  hatch  out  a  plot ;  it  hatched 
itself ;  and  all  I  do  is  to  take  what  I  find  ready  to 
my  hand.  We  can't  help  it.  It's  human  nature 
and  fate  that  are  at  the  bottom  of  everything  in  this 
world.  But  don't  you  go  borrowing  trouble,  little 
Betsy.  We  shall  be  all  right  yet,  and  as  happy  as 
anybody.  You  wouldn't  like  me  always  to  live 
under  another  man's  thumb,  would  you?  Oh,  he 
and  I  won't  have  any  trouble,  once  we  understand 


TOM  PEEKSKILL.  189 

each  other  !  I'm  a  good  fellow  when  you  take  me 
right,  —  aint  I?" 

"I  don't  know  what  you  are,  or  what  I  am,  or 
what  anything  is,"  returned  Lizzie,  her  pretty 
mouth  drooping  despondently.  "But  it  seems  to 
me  that  my  father's  plans  must  be  worth  more 
to  the  world  than  I  am.  I  should,  be  better  out  of 
the  way." 

"  Oh,  I  say,  Betsy,  brace  up  and  be  cheerful ! 
Hang  it  all !  I  give  you  my  word,  I  couldn't  get 
on  without  you,  —  I  couldn't,  honor  bright !  " 

Lizzie  gave  him  a  peculiar  glance,  but  said 
nothing ;  and  they  rode  on  up  the  Eiverside  Park 
road. 


190  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    SENTIMENT    OF   AMBITION. 

THE  success  of  the  new  water-works,  fortified  by 
skilful  management,  and  by  popular  approbation, 
would  probably  have  been  satisfactory  to  its  pro 
moters  in  any  case  ;  but  fortune,  with  what  seemed 
gratuitous  graciousness,  stepped  in  at  the  last 
moment,  and  made  assurance  doubly  sure  by  bring 
ing  an  unforeseen  catastrophe  upon  the  opposite 
party.  During  the  severe  frosts  of  the  winter  the 
dam,  which  they  had  erected  at  a  vast  expense  to 
the  tax-payers,  developed  a  large  fissure ;  and,  a 
thaw  immediately  succeeding,  the  great  reservoir 
of  water  broke  loose,  inundated  the  country,  and,  in 
a  few  hours,  did  more  damage  than  could  have  been 
made  good  in  twice  as  many  years.  The  whole 
business  of  supplying  the  city  with  water  fell  upon 
the  new  company.  Their  stock  could  only  be  pur 
chased  at  fabulous  prices  ;  and  a  local  poet  said  of 
them,  in  a  column  of  a  daily  newspaper,  that  they 
had  tapped  the  river  Pactolus,  which  runs  over 
golden  sands.  The  conceit  happened  to  tickle  the 


THE  SENTIMENT   OF  AMBITION.  191 

popular  fancy,  and  the  company  was  known  as  "  The 
Pactolus  "  ever  after. 

"Do  you  remember,"  said  Warren  to  Dray  ton, 
one  day,  "having  said,  in  a  newspaper  interview, 
that  you  would  not  commit  yourself  as  to  the  re 
spectability  of  the  promoters  of  the  water  scheme  ? 

"I  do,"  Drayton  replied,  smilingly,  caressing  his 
beard. 

"  Well,  w-what  did  you  say  it  for  ?  " 

"  Partly,  of  course,  in  order  to  divert  the  suspi 
cion  that  I  might  be  in  any  way  connected  with 
them  ;  but  principally  because  I  knew  them  to  be 
all  (with  two  exceptions  —  yourself  and  me) 
scamps." 

"  I  always  understood  that  they  were  men  of  your 
own  selection." 

"  So  they  were  !  and  it  was  precisely  because  I 
knew  them  to  be  scamps  that  I  selected  them ;  and 
very  thoroughly  have  they  vindicated  my  opinion." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  some  d-diabolical  wisdom 
concealed  there  ;  but  I  don't  see  it." 

"  It  is  simply  another  instalment  of  the  same 
wisdom  with  which  we  began — that  in  order  to  do 
great  works  you  must  have  ready  and  obedient 
tools.  My  tools  are  ready  because  they  are  un 
scrupulous,  and  they  are  obedient  because  their 


192  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

unscrupulousness  is  known  to  me.  You  saw  how  I 
handled  Muhlbach,  one  of  the  most  powerful  men  in 
New  York.  I  have  the  same  kind  of  hold  over 
every  man  in  our  syndicate,  —  not  to  speak  of 
others,  —  and  I  can  handle  them  just  as  easily.  A 
year  ago,  however,  their  subservience  could  be  of 
little  use  to  me,  because  their  power  and  influence 
were  inconsiderable.  But  to-day  they  are,  every  one 
of  them,  persons  of  exceptional  wealth,  and  able  to 
control  large  and  important  political  interests. 
They  are  more  mine  than  ever,  and  they  are  worth 
a  thousand  per  cent.  more.  They  are  the  hands 
and  feet  by  which  I  shall  carry  out  my  projects." 

"That  is  all  very  clever,"  said  Warren,  in  a  dis 
satisfied  tone  ;  "  but  I  do  wish  the  time  would  come 
when  you  can  use  good  men  to  do  good  work." 

"  There  are  no  such  men !  I'm  not  speaking 
cynically ;  I'm  stating  a  fact.  Good  men,  except 
in  cases  too  rare  to  mention,  are  not  ambitious  of 
such  ends  as  must  control  diligent  and  persistent 
political  workers.  A  man  in  public  life,  unless  he 
have  commanding  genius,  cannot  afford  to  be  good  ; 
there  is  no  place  nor  occupation  for  him.  Good 
men  (who  are  not  also  fools)  see  this,  and  content 
themselves  with  writing  good  books,  bringing  up 
good  families,  conducting  good  charities,  or  preach- 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  AMBITION.  193 

ing  good  or  bad  sermons.  They  are  not  to  be  had 
for  far-reaching  purposes  like  mine.  I  don't  pretend 
to  say  why  it  is  so ;  but,  as  I  didn't  make  the  world, 
I  am  satisfied  to  take  the  world  as  it  is.  Now,  the 
end  and  aim  in  life  of  these  admirable  friends  of  ours 
is  to  make  money  and  wield  an  influence.  For  these 
objects  they  will  barter  as  much  honor  and  honesty 
as  the  devil  himself  could  ask  of  them.  There  has 
been  no  need  of  my  luring  them  on  to  rascality ;  I 
have  simply  sat  by  and  watched  them  acting  out 
their  inalienable  natures.  They  have  made  more 
money  than  they  know  what  to  do  with  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  business ;  but,  notwithstanding, 
they  have  taken  pains  to  steal  as  much  again,  for 
no  earthly  reason,  that  I  can  see,  but  the  pure  love 
of  stealing.  All  right.  Rather  than  have  me  ex 
pose  them  they  will  do  anything  that  I  command. 
Luckily  for  them,  I  shall  not  command  murder, 
forgery,  or  perjury ;  but  I  shall  build  up,  by  means 
of  them  and  such  as  them,  the  greatest  political 
power  known  to  history  "  — 

"Holloa  !     Isn't  that  r-rather  a  large  order? " 

—  "  Of  which  you,  my  dear  Warren,  will  be  the 
heir,"  added  Drayton,  with  a  friendly  nod. 

"  You  must  think  I'm  ambitious." 

"If  I  know  anything,  I  know  that  you  have  the 


194  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

best  and  highest  form  of  ambition.  Your  ambition 
and  mine  are  alike,  —  though  you  have  given  the 
matter  less  thought  than  I  have.  It  is  an  ambition, 
not  for  the  show  of  things,  but  for  the  reality.  In 
deed,  I  carry  it  to  an  extreme  which  I  don't  expect 
or  wish  you  to  follow.  Though  I  intend  to  hold  the 
destinies  of  this  nation  —  and  thereby  of  the  world 
—  in  my  hands,  my  name  will  never  be  heard  in 
history.  I  shall  still  appear  as  the  quiet  man,  living 
privately  upon  his  income,  and  indifferent  to  polit 
ical  concerns  and  vicissitudes.  Whatever  I  do  will 
seem  to  be  done  by  others ;  others  will  receive  the 
praise,  the  respect,  the  love,  and  the  fear,  that  be 
long  to  me.  I  shall  not  envy  them.  The  only  ap 
plause  that  I  covet  is  my  own ;  and  my  success 
would  have  no  greater  value  in  my  eyes  if  all  man 
kind  recognized  it.  And  yet,  I'll  be  frank  with 
you,  Warren,  now  as  always,  —  this  stoicism  is  not 
a  mere  whim  of  mine  ;  it  has  its  practical  and  neces 
sary  side.  The  only  unassailable  power  is  the  un 
known  and  unseen  power, — that  which  remains 
unmoved  behind  all  outward  changes  ;  which  now 
expresses  itself  in  a  democratic  form,  now  in  a  re 
publican,  and  now  in  neither  one  nor  the  other,  as 
occasion  may  demand.  The  characteristic  of  the 
mass  of  people  is  fickleness,  which  justifies  itself  by 


THE  SENTIMENT   OF  AMBITION.  195 

masking  its  inconstancies  behind  a  clamor  for  re 
form,  which,  being  interpreted,  means  something 
new.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  differences  of  party 
are  but  a  difference  of  hat  and  coat ;  the  human 
nature  beneath  is  unaffected  by  whatever  costume. 
A  man  who  sticks  to  party  is  a  man  who  sticks  to 
folly;  but,  since  most  men  are  fools,  a  wise  man 
must  withdraw  himself  from  visible  connection  with 
politics  altogether." 

"  Weren't  Julius  Caesar  and  Napoleon  great 
enough? — and  their  names  were  known." 

"  They  were  soldiers,  and  they  lived  in  times 
when  the  people  had  comparatively  no  power.  In 
this  school  and  newspaper  and  ballot  age  those  who 
wish  to  act  truly  great  parts  must  wear  a  veil.  Such 
a  man  must  be  absolutely  free,  — above  the  control 
of  both  society  and  individuals.  It  must  be  as 
impossible  to  depose  or  assassinate  him  as  to  im 
prison  the  wind  or  stab  the  sunlight ;  otherwise,  he 
must  temporize  and  compromise,  and  be  some  one's 
else  man  instead  of  his  own." 

"Well,  that  may  suit  you,  but  it  wouldn't  do  for 
me,"  said  Warren,  giving  his  head  a  shake.  "  I 
want  the  collision  and  the  rivalry,  —  a  man  among 
men,  and  the  best  man  to  win ;  half  the  fun  for  me 
would  be  in  the  effort  and  the  danger.  I  don't  care 


196  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

to  sit  like  an  invisible  Buddha,  and  rule  the  world 
by  making  it  believe  that  its  will  is  my  own." 

"No  doubt  —  no  doubt,  Warren,"  said  the  other, 
looking  at  him  intently  ;  "your  genius  is  for  action, 
as  mine  is  for  organization.  We  won't  flatter  each 
other ;  you  cannot  do  what  I  can ;  I  can't  do  what 
you  could ;  well,  all  the  more  can  we  be  of  use  each 
to  the  other.  Your  career  will  be  the  complement 
of  mine ;  and  most  men,  as  well  as  yourself,  would 
prefer  yours  to  mine.  Your  power  will  be  just  as 
absolute,  —  while  it  lasts;  but  it  will  last  only  so 
long  as  your  personal  luck  and  ascendancy  continue. 
You  have  the  faculty  (which  I  lack)  of  attaching 
men  to  yourself;  you  can  be  genial  and  magnetic, 
while  I  am  abstract  and  cold.  You  must  be  the 
great  leader ;  I  will  be  the  great  director.  I  could 
not  succeed  without  you,  because  my  plans  need  not 
only  base  tools,  who  can  be  bought  with  money  or 
place,  and  commanded  by  fear  and  self-interest,  but, 
also  a  mind  that  stands  on  equal  terms  with  mine, — 
a  man  willing  and  able  to  occupy  the  lofty  places 
that  I  shall  provide  for  him.  Otherwise  I  should 
be  like  a  mechanic  who  has  devised  an  ingenious 
machine,  but  has  no  motive-power  to  set  it  going. 
And  you,  on  the  other  hand,  could  not  succeed 
without  me  ;  for  you  must  not  vitiate  the  ardor  of 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  AMBITION.  197 

action  with  the  dryness  of  thought.  You  must  rely- 
on  me  for  my  share  of  the  business,  in  order  to  be 
able  to  rely  on  yourself  for  yours.  Be  you  the 
lever,  and  I  the  pou  sto,  and  we'll  move  the  world." 

"After  all,  then,  I  should  be  only  an  instru 
ment." 

"  What  more  am  I,  or  any  man?  I  believe  in  a 
Supreme  Being,  Warren,  though  I'm  not  glib  at 
talking  about  him.  When  He  has  a  purpose  to 
carry  out  He  makes  some  man  the  instrument  of 
it.  Because  you  and  I  cannot  change  places,  shall 
we  do  nothing  ?  " 

Warren  remained  silent  for  a  while,  biting  his 
lips  and  looking  down.  "After  all,"  he  said  at 
length,  "we  have  only  been  talking  generalities  so 
far,  and  I  am  in  the  dark.  What  is  really  your 
plan  ?  Can  you  p-put  it  in  the  concrete  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  you  must  let  me  do  that  in  my  own 
way  and  time ;  I  shan't  keep  you  long  waiting. 
Indeed,  I  will  say  here,  that  I  shall  never  ask  you 
to  do  anything  that  we  have  not  previously  discussed 
and  agreed  upon.  Nothing  will  be  attempted  with 
out  your  approval ;  for  I  know  very  well  that  what 
you  don't  do  with  your  whole  heart  would  better  be 
left  undone.  Do  you  find  the  prospect,  so  far,  unin 
viting?" 


198  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"  It  sounds  better  than  anything  I  ever  imagined ; 
but  it  doesn't  sound  real." 

"Neither  did  the  plans  of  Alexander  sound  real 
to  his  captains.  More  great  destinies  are  missed 
through  mistrust  than  through  incapacity." 

"I  can  understand  how  you  might  succeed,  for 
you  have  money  and  connections,  and  you've  been 
working  with  this  end  in  view  for  years.  But  your 
proposition  as  regards  me  looks  too  like  a  m-miracle. 
I  am  poor  and  unknown  ;  what  sort  of  a  figure 
should  I  cut  at  the  head  of  a  nation  ?  " 

"As  to  your  poverty,  that  is  a  valuable  quality 
which  I  hope  you  will  keep,"  said  Drayton,  smiling. 
"  I  need  money  ;  you  don't.  When  you  took  your 
pay  for  your  work  on  the  water- works  in  money 
instead  of  stock  you  struck  the  key-note  of  your 
whole  financial  future.  All  the  money  you  will  ever 
have,  or  ought  to  have,  will  be  money  fairly  earned 
by  fair  work.  You  have  an  instinct  against  usury 
in  all  its  phases  ;  no  dollar  of  yours  will  make  itself 
into  ten  unless  you  sweat  for  it." 

"Hold  on  !  you're  going  too  fast.  I  didn't  dabble 
in  our  stock,  because  I  prefer  to  take  out  my  excite 
ment  in  other  ways  than  gambling ;  but  as  to  my  not 
wanting  money,  it's  just  what  I  do  want.  Money 
is  the  power  of  entering  into  the  life  around  us." 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  AMBITION.  199 

"  It  is  one  of  the  means  of  entrance ;  but  it  is 
the  least  dignified  and  necessary  of  all.  What  you 
say  proves  my  point ;  you  wanted  money  only  be 
cause  you  believed  it  to  be  essential  to  put  you  on 
certain  terms  with  the  world.  Well,  that  is  your 
mistake,  and  you  will  soon  acknowledge  it.  Depend 
upon  it,  my  diagnosis  is  right.  Keep  clear  of  money, 
Warren,  as  you  would  of  the  plague ;  it  can  do  you 
no  good,  and  might  irretrievably  injure  your  career. 
You  can't  doubt  my  sincerity,  at  all  events.  I  care 
more  for  you  than  for  any  other  man  in  the  world, 
and  by  a  scratch  of  this  pen  I  might  make  you  a 
millionnaire  ten  times  over  ;  but  I  shall  never  do  it ! 
It  is  your  fate  to  be  the  foremost  figure  in  America, 
and  never  to  own  a  bank-account." 

"Well,  that  wouldn't  be  an  unfair  exchange," 
said  Warren,  laughing.  "For  my  part,  though,  I 
never  noticed  much  of  the  Cincinnatus  in  my  char 
acter.  But  this  is  all  a  romance  of  yours,  Dray  ton. 
Where  did  you  come  by  so  much  imagination? 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States." 

"  I  have  heard  of  some  such  document.  Did  you 
ever  read  it  ?  " 

"  I  could  repeat  it  by  heart  when  I  was  in  college." 

"Government  of,  by,  and  for  the  people,  isn't  it? 


200  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

No  such  transparent  fraud  was  ever  before  put  into 
grandiloquent  periods.  Clear  your  mind  of  cant, 
young  man  !  This  government  is  the  systematized 
robbery  of  the  many  by  the  few.  No  one  is  respon 
sible,  and  no  one  cares.  A  policeman  is  a  man 
who  protects  the  criminal  classes  and  shares  their 
plunder.  An  alderman  is  a  person  by  whose 
means  wealthy  corporations  rob  the  city  treasury. 
A  State  governor  is  an  individual  who  organizes 
the  depredations  of  his  subordinates.  A  represent 
ative  "  — 

"But,  at  all  events,  democracy  is  the  last  word 
of  politics.  Beyond  it  is  chaos,  and  you  can't  go 
b-back  to  Europe." 

"  The  brain  rules  the  man.  The  husband  rules 
the  family.  God  rules  the  universe.  But  where  is 
your  prototype  for  a  democracy?  Where  is  your 
evidence  that  the  many  are  wiser  than  the  one? 
What  is  the  value  of  that  freedom  which  enables 
one,  every  four  years  or  less,  to  vote  for  substituting 
one  rogue's  gallery  for  another?  What  virtue  is  in 
the  tolerance  which  prostitutes  this  country  to  the 
occasions  of  all  the  world's  assassins,  adulterers,  and 
atheists?  What  sort  of  prosperity  is  that  which 
begets  extravagance  faster  than  it  makes  money? 
What  is  everybody's  business  is  nobody's  business 


THE  SENTIMENT  OF  AMBITION.  201 

is  a  good  old  proverb,  and  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  is  its  prophet !  " 

"  There's  some  truth  in  all  that,  no  doubt.  But 
to  see  an  abuse  is  not  to  invent  a  remedy  ;  and,  as  for 
my  share  in  the  matter,  though  you  have  reconciled 
my  poverty,  you  haven't  found  a  cure  for  my  being 
unknown,  which  is  poverty  of  a  worse  kind." 

"Who  knew  Gambetta  six  weeks  before  he  be 
came  Dictator  of  France  ?  There  is  a  cure  for  being 
unknown,  —  a  certain  and  a  swift  one.  Can  you 
guess  it?" 

"I'd  rather  you'd  t-tell  me." 

"It's  an  emergency!"  said  Dray  ton,  striking  his 
flat  hand  on  the  table,  and  then  rising  from  his 
chair.  "  The  man  who  fills  the  breach  of  a  national 
emergency  will  never  afterwards  have  to  complain 
of  obscurity.  And  that  is  what  you  must  do." 

"  But  what  if  an  emergency  doesn't  turn  up  ?  " 

"  Then  it  must  be  created,"  was  Drayton's  reply  ; 
"  and  that  is  what  I  will  do,  when  the  right  time 
comes." 


202  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE    PAMPHLET. 

A  PRESIDENTIAL  election  was  looming  ahead,  and 
both  parties  were  gathering  all  their  forces  together 
for  a  decisive  struggle.  The  present  incumbents 
had  the  advantages  of  machinery  and  situation  on 
their  side ;  their  opponents  were  supported  by  the 
popular  love  of  change,  and  by  the  revelation  of 
abuses  that  had  infested  the  existing  administration. 
Nations  are  like  a  man,  who  sometimes  wants  to 
read  a  Bible,  and  sometimes  a  jest-book,  and  can 
give  no  reason  for  either  preference.  Both  wants 
are  natural,  and  neither  can  finally  exclude  the 
other.  The  difference  between  the  two  political 
parties  in  the  United  States  was,  of  course,  much 
less  than  that  between  a  jest-book  and  the  Bible  ; 
but  their  similarity  was  due  rather  to  their  common 
disregard  of  statesmanship  than  to  their  devotion  to 
opposing  theories  of  that  science.  Apolitical  party, 
like  an  algebraic  formula,  is  a  device  for  dispensing 
with  thought ;  though,  unlike  the  latter,  it  is  the 
product  of  emotion  instead  of  reason. 


THE  PAMPHLET.  203 

In  the  midst  of  the  preparations  an  incident  hap 
pened  which  might  almost  be  said  to  have  monopo 
lized,  for  a  time,  the  public  attention.  It  owed  this 
effect,  however,  not  so  much  to  its  essential  or 
abstract  importance  as  to  its  novelty  and  timeliness. 
It  was  nothing  more  than  a  pamphlet  of  a  hundred 
pages,  price  five  cents  a  copy,  containing  an  imagi 
nary  account  of  the  complications  and  changes  fol 
lowing  upon  such  events  as  a  quarrel  with  Europe ; 
a  treasonable  plot  in  Washington ;  an  appalling 
pestilence ;  a  startling  revelation  of  the  inward  rot 
tenness  and  impotence  of  all  the  means  and  appli 
ances  of  the  national  government ;  the  consequent 
imminent  peril  of  our  existence  as  a  nation ;  and, 
finally,  of  the  emergence,  in  the  nick  of  time,  of  a 
man  whose  genius  and  energy  were  equal  to  the 
occasion.  This  man  was  young,  like  the  country, 
strong  and  courageous,  despising  the  shackles  of 
tradition,  endowed  with  the  common-sense  and  te 
nacity  which  are  the  birthright  of  Englishmen,  and 
with  the  imaginative  intuition  which  the  Englishman 
lacks.  Drawn  by  the  force  of  circumstances  from 
the  ranks  of  the  people  into  a  position  where  the  eyes 
of  the  world  were  upon  him,  and  the  fate  of  the 
nation  was  in  his  hands,  he  dealt  with  his  responsibili 
ties  boldly  and  sagaciously,  and  retained  unaltered 


204  LOVE —OR  A  NAME. 

the  simplicity  and  homeliness  of  his  native  charac 
ter  and  associations.  The  American  people,  when 
deeply  stirred,  are  never  wanting  in  enthusiasm  and 
gratitude  ;  and  their  confidence  in  this  unlooked-for 
and  semi-miraculous  champion  of  theirs  was  as 
ardent  as  it  was  boundless.  But,  on  the  threshold 
of  his  most  momentous  undertaking  the  pamphlet 
came  to  an  end,  and  the  result  of  the  crisis  was  left 
to  the  judgment  and  imagination  of  the  reader. 

It  was,  no  doubt,  owing  largely  to  this  forbearance 
on  the  writer's  part  that  his  production  met  with  a 
success  so  extraordinary.  Half  a  million  copies  were 
sold  within  a  month  of  publication.  The  newspapers 
in  all  parts  of  the  country  reviewed  it,  discussed  it 
in  leading  articles,  and  gave  long  extracts  from  it. 
Its  mission  was,  not  to  dogmatize,  but  to  suggest. 
But  some  suggestions  are  almost  equivalent  to  a 
revolution.  The  conditions  of  the  problem  or  predic 
ament  were  so  clearly  stated,  and  the  treatment  of 
the  theme  bore  evidence  of  such  mastery  of  facts, 
and  of  both  the  public  and  private  details  of  political 
affairs,  that  each  reader  thought  he  could  detect  the 
latent  drift  of  the  argument ;  and  the  circumstance 
that  one  individual's  view  did  not  coincide  with  his 
neighbor's  only  served  to  stimulate  thought  and  argu 
ment.  Several  well-known  public  men  were  men- 


THE  PAMPHLET.  205 

tioned  in  the  course  of  the  narrative  ;  but  the  action 
was  carried  on  by  personages  who  had  an  existence 
only  in  the  author's  fancy,  or  who  were,  at  any  rate, 
unknown  as  yet  to  the  world.  In  spite  of  the 
straightforwardness  of  the  style  and  movement  of 
the  little  book  it  was  constructed  with  singular  art, 
evincing  a  deep  knowledge  of  human  nature,  — 
the  human  nature  of  its  readers  as  well  as  of  its 
characters.  A  shrewd  critic  said  of  it  that  it 
was  a  more  dangerous,  because  a  more  insidious,  at 
tack  upon  the  integrity  of  the  Union  than  the  act  of 
secession  itself.  It  did  not  attack  or  defend  the  theory 
of  State  rights  ;  but  it  insinuated  the  notion  that  the 
democratic  form  of  government  is  the  most  stifling, 
because  the  most  plausible,  despotism  that  the  world 
has  yet  seen.  And,  although  it  stopped  short  of 
specifying  a  remedy  for  the  evils  it  portrayed,  the 
logic  of  the  circumstances  seemed  to  indicate  a  dicta 
torship  as  the  most  promising  solution  of  our  dangers 
and  perplexities. 

When  a  presidential  election  is  in  prospect  nothing 
is  neglected  by  either  party  which  appears  capable 
of  being  adapted  or  twisted  to  its  cause ;  and  the 
pamphlet  was  promptly  seized  upon  by  both  sides  as 
being  a  more  or  less  open  advocate  of  their  several 
views.  But  when  they  found  themselves  quoting 


206  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

the  same  passages  with  directly  opposite  interpreta 
tions  the  absurdity  of  the  situation  in  which  they 
had  placed  themselves  became  apparent ;  and  they 
were  united,  for  once,  in  condemning  the  brochure 
as  a  vicious  and  unprincipled  publication.  When, 
however,  both  the  pot  and  the  kettle  agree  in  calling 
something  else  black,  unprejudiced  observers  are 
prone  to  ask  themselves  whether  there  must  not  be 
some  rare  virtue  in  what  is  so  suspiciously  con 
demned.  The  circulation  of  the  pamphlet  received 
a  new  impetus  ;  and  it  was  now  read  by  a  graver 
and  more  thoughtful  class,  who  were  not  accustomed 
to  mix  themselves  up  with  the  ordinary  political 
intrigues.  They  found  in  it  a  deliberately  planned 
and  carefully  executed  arraignment  of  the  results  of 
popular  government ;  the  tone  not  bitter  nor  exag 
gerated,  the  succession  of  incidents  unforced  and 
logical,  and  the  culmination  inevitable.  It  was 
evidently  conceived  and  executed  by  no  ordinary 
mind.  Who  was  the  author?  He  was  not  named 
on  the  title-page,  and  the  ingenuity  of  a  million 
readers  failed  to  solve  the  question  of  his  identity. 
Some  thought  he  was  some  ambitious  spirit  making 
a  covert  attempt  to  undermine  the  edifice  erected  by 
our  forefathers.  Others  believed  the  pamphlet  to 
be  the  work  of  a  critical  and  dispassionate  philosp- 


THE  PAMPHLET.  207 

pher,  who  saw  the  dangers  to  which  we  were  liable, 
and  would  fain  warn  us  of  them  in  time.  Others, 
again,  saw  in  it  the  pronunciamento  of  a  secret 
organization,  laying  the  foundations  of  a  scheme  to 
seize  the  reins  of  power.  But  no  one  could  fix 
upon  any  known  individual  as  likely  to  be  the  writer. 
The  arguments  were  manifestly  addressed  to  the 
higher  order  of  citizens  ;  to  those  whose  neglect  of 
the  more  important  duties  of  citizenship  had  hitherto 
been  a  standing  reproach  to  America.  It  was  over 
the  heads  of  the  mass  of  eager  and  ignorant  per 
sons  ;  it  aroused  their  curiosity,  but  they  were 
unable  to  fathom  its  true  import.  In  spite,  there 
fore,  of  the  radical  and  daring  changes  that  it  sug 
gested  it  flattered  and  conciliated  the  men  whose 
influence  must,  in  the  long  run,  prevail  over  those 
more  superficially  active,  —  unless  the  common 
wealth  were  frankly  to  be  abandoned  to  the  devil. 
It  gave  a  certain  bias  to  their  meditations  and  fore 
casts  ;  and  led  them  to  look  forward  with  interest  to 
what  might  be  the  next  card  played  by  one  who 
seemed  to  hold  so  strong  and  unique  a  hand. 

"  Seems  to  me  it  must  have  been  written  by  a 
very  good  person,"  said  the  ever  amiable  Susan 
Wayne,  in  the  course  of  a  conversation  about  it 
with  Nell  Anthony.  "  The  language  is  so  cultivated 


208  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

and  pleasant,  and  the  writer  seemed  to  be  so  desir 
ous  to  state  the  exact  truth.  If  my  dear  husband 
were  alive,  I'm  sure  he  would  have  written  in  just 
that  way." 

"  I  don't  think  he  would  have  written  just  such 
things,"  replied  Nell,  who  was  probably  less  sensi 
tive  to  literary  style  than  to  ideas. 

"  It  might  be  Uncle  Joseph,"  said  Susan  ;  "  only 
I  never  heard  of  his  writing  anything." 

Nell  shook  her  head  with  an  expression  of  some 
thing  like  contempt.  Uncle  Joseph  was  the  first 
human  being  she  had  ever  completely  disliked ;  and 
to  her  mind  it  was  impossible  he  should  have  any 
redeeming  feature,  even  of  an  intellectual  kind. 

"I  don't  believe  you're  as  fond  of  Uncle  Joseph 
as  I  am ;  I  can't  imagine  why  !  "  said  Susan,  pen 
sively.  "  But  who  do  you  think  it  is,  dear?  " 

"I  don't  know;  but,  whoever  he  is,  I  shouldn't 
trust  him." 

"  Dear  me  !  How  strange  !  Now  that's  just 
what  I  should  have  done." 

"  I  hope  no  one  I  love  will  ever  have  anything  to 
do  with  the  man  that  wrote  that  book.  He  knows 
a  great  deal ;  but  I  don't  believe  he  really  cares  for 
his  country.  And  it  doesn't  follow,  because  we  are 
governed  by  bad  men,  that  the  way  of  governing  is 


THE  PAMPHLET.  209 

bad.  Besides,  America  is  not  a  country,  like  the 
others ;  it  is  the  best  part  of  all  countries,  —  the 
noblest  and  freest  thoughts  of  all  the  men  in  the 
world.  And  I  would  rather  be  governed  as  we  are 
now,  than  by  any  one  man,  even  if  he  were  the  best 
and  wisest  that  ever  lived." 

w  Well,  dear,  I  never  could  understand  much 
about  these  things,  and  you  are  always  right  about 
everything ;  but  still  I  don't  see  why  a  great  many 
bad  men  should  rule  us  better  than  one  good  man." 

"  It  isn't  that,"  said  Nell,  taking  up  her  sewing 
and  resuming  her  work  upon  it ;  "  but  a  ruler  is  a 
person  who  tries  to  make  those  he  rules  happy  and 
prosperous  ;  and  so  the  purest  and  most  heaven-like 
kind  of  government  must  be  that  where  the  people 
rule ;  where  they  all  try  to  secure  happiness  and 
prosperity  for  one  another.  But  if  we  left  it  all 
to  one  man  we  should  have  nothing  to  attend  to 
but  our  own  selfish  interests,  and  we  should  think  of 
one  another  only  as  rivals  and  obstacles.  We  might 
become  more  powerful  and  wealthy,  but  we  should 
be  less  manly ;  and  the  world  would  not  look  upon 
us  any  longer  as  the  place  where  the  loftiest  hopes 
of  mankind  were  to  be  realized." 

Susan  accepted  this  view  of  the  matter  all  the 
more  submissively  because  she  did  not  in  the  least 


210  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

comprehend  it.  Nell  herself  smiled  a  little  at  her 
own  eloquence.  She  was  not  accustomed  to  think 
in  such  phrases.  But  there  are  people  who,  as  it 
were,  provoke  us  into  uttering  ideas,  and  using 
figures  of  speech,  which  we  should  probably  not 
have  hit  upon  in  solitude ;  and  the  provocation  is 
due  not  to  their  sympathetic  understanding  of  our 
sayings,  but  to  the  fact  that  they  sympathize  without 
understanding.  And  Susan  was  precisely  one  of 
these  comfortable  people. 

Mr.  Terence  O'Ryan,  who  had  lately  moved  into 
a  handsome  suite  of  rooms  at  the  Hoffman  House, 
was  a  less  severe  critic  of  the  book  than  Nell. 
"  Afther  all,"  he  remarked  to  Warren,  twisting  his 
dark  mustache,  and  then  inserting  his  hands  slowly 
into  the  pockets  of  his  immaculate  trousers,  "  it 
don't  so  much  matter  if  we  dhrive  a  single  stepper, 
or  six-in-hand,  so  as  we  get  ahead,  and  cover  the 
ground.  'Tis  the  chaps  with  brains  should  have 
the  front  place,  and,  sure,  there's  not  so  many  of  'em  ! 
The  public  revenue  is  dispersed  and  wasted  amongst 
a  lot  of  blockheads  and  blackguards,  when  'twould 
be  much  better  lining  the  pockets  of  a  few  good 
fellers  that  would  know  how  to  use  it.  Show  me 
one  good  man,  with  a  head  on  his  shoulders  and  a 
grip  on  his  business,  and,  faith !  'tis  Terence 


THE  PAMPHLET.  211 

O'Ryan  would  follow  him  through  thick  and  thin  ! 
And,  by  the  same  token,  the  chap  that  wrote  that 
book  won't  be  a  bad  sort  the  day  he  dhrops  the  pin, 
and  makes  a  grab  for  the  ballot-box  !  " 

"  Is  the  ballot-box  mightier  than  the  pen  ? " 
Warren  asked. 

"  Sure  that  depends  on  whether  you're  casting  the 
votes  or  counting  'em,"  replied  Terence,  with  a 
twinkle  of  the  eye ;  "  and  what's  voting  amount  to 
any  way?  Isn't  there  a  hundred  men  to-day  will 
vote  as  I  tell  'em,  and  not  the  half  of  an  idea  among 
the  whole  blessed  pack  of  'em  what  it's  all  about  ? 
And  won't  I  and  a  hundred  others  vote  as  the  boss 
bids  us  if  it  'twas  for  the  devil  himself — God  bless 
him  !  Very  well,  then,  Mr.  Bell,  in  the  name  of 
common-sense  and  economy,  why  not  cut  off  the 
zeros  and  keep  the  units  ?  Where's  the  use  of  a  lot 
of  idle,  shiftless  ignoramuses,  that  calls  themselves 
politicians,  and  all  the  politics  they  know  is  to  get 
tight  on  other  men's  whiskey,  and  carry  torches  in  a 
parade?  Sure  'twould  be  better  both  for  them  and 
the  country  if  they  was  all  at  work  earning  their 
bread  at  some  honest  calling,  contributing  to  the 
honor  and  prosperity  of  the  land,  and  laving  govern 
ment  to  them  as  was  born  to  govern.  Faith,  'tis 
out  of  patience  with  'em  I  am,  intirely,"  said  Mr. 


212  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

O'Ryan,  turning  to  pour  out  a  thimbleful  of  Old 
Bourbon,  and  nodding  at  Warren  as  he  tossed  it 
down  his  throat. 

rt  The  amount  of  it  is  that  we  shall  be  ruled  by 
cir-circumstances,  like  the  rest  of  the  world,"  War 
ren  observed. 

"With  all  my  heart,  so  the  circumstances  are 
of  my  own  conthriving,"  rejoined  Terence,  with  a 
laugh  and  a  wink ;  and  then  Warren  left  him. 

He  crossed  Broadway,  and  turned  up  Fifth  ave 
nue.  In  a  moment  a  step  came  up  behind  him, 
and  Drayton  appeared  at  his  side.  They  greeted 
each  other  with  a  friendly  brevity,  and  walked  on 
together. 

"  O'Ryan  was  just  speaking  to  me  about  that  new 
pamphlet,"  Warren  said.  "  It's  odd  how  many  men 
here  seem  not  averse  to  a  change  of  government." 

"For  my  part,"  returned  Drayton,  "I  should 
say  we  change  our  government  only  too  often." 

"  I  mean,  change  it  altogether,  —  abolish  the  Re 
public." 

"  Do  you  think  that  would  be  possible  ?  " 

rt  Well,  yes.  There  are  a  great  many  people 
who  would  like  a  monarchy,  or  even  a  despotism, 
just  for  the  pleasure  of  being  courtiers.  Then  there 
are  others,  like  O'Ryan,  who  would  favor  it  because 


TUB  PAMPHLET.  213 

they  think  it  would  make  them  richer.  And  no 
doubt  there  are  some  who  would  accept  it  from  pa 
triotic  and  philosophic  motives." 

"  Are  you  among  any  of  those  classes  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  care  to  call  any  man  my 
master." 

"  Suppose  you  were  to  meet  a  man  who  was  your 
master,  —  whether  physically,  mentally  or  spiritu 
ally, —  as,  according  to  Shakespeare,  Augustus  was 
the  master  of  Anthony.  Without  any  derogation 
of  your  qualities,  my  dear  boy,  such  a  thing  is 
conceivable.  In  that  case  would  you  refuse  to 
acknowledge  his  mastership  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  I  guess  I  would,  — in  the  sense  we 
are  talking  of." 

"Would  not  that  be  simply  refusing  to  admit 
what  was,  nevertheless,  a  fact,  —  a  mere  question 
of  words,  when  the  thing  itself  was  conceded?  " 

"  N-not  as  I  see  it.  A  man  may  be  a  better  man 
than  I,  —  plenty  of  them,  —  and  yet  have  no  right 
to  order  me  round.  A  man  is  accountable  to  the 
law,  which  is  the  human  version  of  the  will  of  God ; 
and,  in  comparison  with  that,  the  difference  between 
the  greatest  man  and  the  least  is  too  small  to  be 
worth  consideration.  A  man  who  pretends  to  be 
greater  than  the  law  "  — 


214  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"Yes  ;  but  we  don't  want  to  go  into  abstractions," 
interrupted  Dray  ton,  good-humoredly.  "We  are  a 
practical  nation.  Our  form  of  government  is  not  an 
arbitrary  creation  of  Jefferson  and  Washington ;  it 
grew  up  gradually  and  unconsciously  from  the 
primitive  procedure  of  our  isolated  frontier  towns 
and  villages.  Congress  is  nothing  but  the  meeting 
of  the  village  selectmen  magnified  a  few  hundred 
diameters.  We  have  drifted  into  a  republic ;  we 
didn't  create  it  of  malice  aforethought.  The  constitu 
tion  formulates  and  legalizes  what  was  found  ready 
to  hand  ;  a  critic  might  say  it  made  the  best  of  a 
bad  bargain.  Our  forefathers  were  in  a  very  in 
dependent  mood  just  then  ;  they  had  been  fighting 
the  British,  and  the  more  their  government  could  be 
made  to  seem  different  from  the  British  the  better 
they  would  be  pleased.  It  was  a  leap  in  the  dark, 
taken  in  anything  but  a  dispassionate  moment. 
And,  seriously,  Warren,  I'm  inclined  to  think 
it  was  a  leap  in  the  wrong  direction.  Human 
nature  is  the  same  here  that  it  is  in  England, 
and  even  in  Russia ;  and  the  republican  form  of 
government  doesn't  suit  human  nature.  In  every 
great  body  of  men  there  will  be  so  many  snobs, 
so  many  money-makers,  so  many  idlers,  so  many 
aristocrats,  so  many  canaille,  so  many  rulers 


THE  PAMPHLET.  215 

and  patriots.  Now,  our  government,  theoretically, 
only  recognizes  the  existence  of  the  last  two  ;  but, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  other  classes  are  here,  and, 
as  there  is  no  accommodation  prepared  for  them, 
they  make  the  best  they  can  for  themselves.  The 
result  is  confusion,  perplexity,  rascality,  and  ob 
structions  of  all  kinds.  In  England,  on  the  other 
hand,  there  is,  broadly  speaking,  a  place  for  every 
body,  and  everybody  is  in  his  place,  and  the  govern 
ment  inevitably  falls  into  the  hands  of  tho  persons 
best  qualified  to  administer,  who,  again,  could  only 
have  come  into  existence  under  the  kind  of  govern 
ment  which  they  administer." 

"  Then  do  you  go  in  for  a  limited  monarchy  in 
America  ?  " 

"  No  ;  for  a  limited  monarchy  cannot  be  made  to 
order.  It  is  natural  to  England,  for  it  is  the  out 
growth  of  their  peculiar  condition  during  a  thousand 
years ;  but  it  would  be  artificial  and  absurd  for 
us." 

*  Well  w-what's  your  alternative  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  not  very  far  from  that  suggested  by  the 
author  of  the  pamphlet." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

:t  You  should  be  able  to  answer  that  question  as 
well  as  I." 


216  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"  The  truth  is,"  Warren  confessed,  "  I  never 
read  the  thing." 

Drayton  glanced  at  him  in  some  surprise.  "  Isn't 
that  rather  eccentric  ?  " 

"I  didn't  mean  it  that  way.  I  don't  think  I 
thought  much  about  it.  Besides,  logic  and  reason 
ing  are  not  of  much  use  to  me  in  such  matters.  It's 

o 

accident  and  p-prejudice,  I  guess,  that  do  the 
business." 

Drayton  gave  a  quiet  laugh.  "  Upon  the  whole," 
he  said,  "I  am  glad  you  didn't  read  it.  It  wasn't 
written  for  you ;  it  was  written  for  everybody  else. 
You  need  another  sort  of  medicine,  if  you  need 
any." 

"  How  do  you  know  who  it  was  or  was  not  written 
for?"  Warren  inquired. 

"  For  one  thing  because  I  know  who  wrote  it." 

"Who  was  it?" 

"I  wrote  it  myself,"  answered  Drayton,  laughing 
again.  "  But  here  we  are  at  my  house.  Come  in  ; 
I  want  to  have  a  chat  with  you." 


A   LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  217 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A    LEAP   IN    THE    DARK. 

THEY  went  into  the  library,  and  Dray  ton  asked 
the  servant  whether  Miss  Dray  ton  were  at  home. 
The  man  replied  that  she  had  gone  out  about  half 
an  hour  before. 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  your  success  in  author 
ship,"  said  Warren.  "Is  this  your  first  work?" 

"  The  first  and  the  last,"  answered  Drayton.  His 
manner  was  abstracted,  and  he  sat  for  some  time  in 
silence,  with  his  arms  folded  and  his  eyes  turned 
downwards.  At  last  he  looked  up  and  said,  "  War 
ren,  most  men  of  your  age  have  some  affair  of  the 
heart  on  hand.  I  was  married  at  twenty-five. 
Have  you  ever  contemplated  such  a  step  ? " 

"  Well,  I  don't  expect  to  be  married,"  said  War 
ren,  rubbing  his  forehead  with  his  hand. 

"You  have  had  some  early  love-scrapes,  like 
the  rest  of  us  ? "  Drayton  continued,  pleasantly. 

"  I  don't  know.  I  don't  understand  women.  I  don't 
think  I  could  trust  a  woman.  I  get  on  better  with 
men.  You  can  generally  tell  what  a  man  will  do, 


218  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

but  women  beat  all  calculations.  They  don't  do 
what  you  expect,  and  they  do  what  you  don't 
expect.  Some  men,  I  suppose,  have  a  genius  for 
women  ;  but  I'm  not  one  of  them.  And  not  to  un 
derstand  a  woman  seems  to  have  a  bad  effect  on 
her.  It  seems  to  dem-demoralize  her." 

"We  mustn't  expect  too  much  of  them,  my  dear 
boy.  They  are  emotional;  they  communicate  a 
color  and  a  sparkle  to  the  ordinary  facts  of  life,  and 
we  are  sometimes  liable  to  overrate  the  world  under 
their  influence.  But,  after  all  deductions,  the  truth 
remains  that  women  add  essentially  to  the  happiness, 
the  order,  and  the  prosperity  of  existence ;  only  we 
must  remember  to  apply  to  them  the  doctrine  of  the 
conservation  of  energy.  If  you  begin  with  a  blaze 
of  romantic  passion  you  will  end  with  a  frigid  com- 
monplaceness.  The  best  plan  is  to  strike  a  reason 
able  average  at  first,  and  then  your  relations  will 
improve  instead  of  deteriorating ;  for  you  will  form 
habits  of  affection  and  association,  and  these  in 
themselves  are  agreeable.  Be  the  friend  of  your 
wife;  be  kind,  be  firm,  be  charitable;  and,  unless 
3rour  choice  has  been  particularly  unfortunate,  your 
life  with  her  will  be  full  of  very  solid  and  useful 
satisfactions.  Don't  expect  to  find  the  world  in 
her ;  but  look  upon  her  as  your  constant  alternative 


A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  219 

from  the  world.  The  world  will  give  you  all  that 
she  cannot ;  but  the  rewards  of  the  world  would  be 
less  grateful  without  her." 

"  That  is  sensible  enough  ;  but  I  could  never  woo 
a  woman  on  those  terms.  I  must  at  least  believe 
I'm  in  love  with  her,  if  I  want  to  make  her  love 
me." 

"  Women  can  —  and,  generally  speaking,  they 
ought  to  —  be  guided  towards  marriage  by  other 
influences  than  those  of  the  lover.  The  European 
customs  have  much  good  sense  in  them,  though  they 
are  carried  to  an  extreme.  Warren,  I  have  a  great 
desire  to  see  you  married." 

"  I  should  be  happy  to  oblige  you  ;  but "  — 

"I  desire,"  Drayton  continued,  leaning  forward 
and  speaking  with  great  earnestness  and  feeling, 
"  to  live  to  see  your  children  —  your  daughters  and 
your  sons  —  growing  up  around  you  ;  and  to  know 
that  the  plans,  which  I  am  forming  for  your  future 
have  a  chance  of  being  carried  on  by  your  posterity. 
And  one  thing  more,  Warren  :  I  have  no  other  son 
but  you ;  all  my  acts  and  hopes  have  respect  to 
you  ;  why  should  you  not,  when  you  take  a  wife, 
take  her  whose  union  to  you  would  unite  you  also 
with  me?  Be  my  son,  indeed;  be  the  husband  of 
my  daughter  !  " 


220  LOVE  — OR  A  NAME. 

"My  dear  Drayton ! "  exclaimed  Warren,  too 
much  astonished  to  remember  his  manners,  "you 
don't  know  w-what  you  are  saying  !  Your  daughter 
would  no  more  think  of  marrying  me  than  she 
would  a  bronze  statue  in  the  park  !  I  haven't  talked 
with  her  a  score  of  times  in  my  life.  I  should  only 
make  her  miserable,  and  "  — 

"  You  don't  know  her  —  you  have  said  enough  to 
prove  that,"  interrupted  Drayton,  with  a  confident 
smile.  "  This  is  the  first  time  I've  spoken  to  you 
on  the  subject ;  but  I  have  conversed  more  than  once 
with  her.  And,  without  violating  her  confidence,  I 
may  tell  you  she  does  not  think  you  would  make 
her  miserable." 

Warren  stared  at  his  interlocutor,  but  was  unable 
to  say  anything. 

"I  have  entrusted  her,"  the  other  went  on,  "  with 
much  of  the  general  scope  of  the  design  I  have  been 
forming  concerning  your  future  connection  with  the 
affairs  of  this  country.  She  understands  what 
your  career  is  to  be,  and  she  has  in  her  the  qualities 
which  would  enable  her  to  promote  and  to  appre 
ciate  this.  In  her  feminine  way  she  has  an  ambi 
tion  which  would  harmonize  with  yours,  and  support 
it.  Personally  she  is  fitted  to  adorn  any  station  in 
life  to  which  she  might  be  called.  Your  marriage 


A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  221 

would  draw  us  all  closer  together ;  and,  since  you 
have  no  other  attachment,  I  am  convinced  you  would 
find  all  you  can  wish  in  her." 

"  Have  you  already  proposed  me  to  her  —  do  you 
mean  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly  not !  I  could  not  know,  until  I 
had  it  from  your  own  lips,  that  you  were  not  other 
wise  interested.  But,  of  course,  I  can  read  Lizzie's 
mind  and  heart  like  an  open  book,  and  I  know  that 
it  needs  only  a  word  from  you  to  turn  her  wholly  in 
your  direction.  She  isn't  dying  of  love  for  you, 
Warren :  her  nature  is  more  intelligent  than  pas 
sionate  ;  but  she  is  sympathetic  and  affectionate,  and 
I  have  noticed  that  she  is  already  becoming  weary 
of  the  superficial  social  pleasures  that  have  engaged 
her  during  the  last  two  or  three  years.  She  wants 
some  deeper  and  more  tender  interest  in  life.  You 
seem  to  lack  something,  too.  Can  you  not  find  it 
in  each  other  ?  " 

Warren  got  up  from  his  chair  and  walked  about 
the  room.  It  was  true  that  he  lacked  something, — 
he  had  felt  that  for  a  long  time  ;  but  as  to  finding  it 
in  Lizzie  —  His  thoughts  had  been  busy  with  quite 
a  different  figure.  And  yet,  to  what  end  should  he 
meditate  upon  that  other?  He  knew  her  no  more 
than  he  knew  Lizzie  —  perhaps  not  so  much.  He 


222  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

had  believed  that  she  would  accept  him,  and  she  had 
refused  him  :  that  was  the  first  mistake.  She  had 
come  to  New  York  without  informing  him  of  it,  and 
had  tried  to  conceal  herself  from  him  when,  by  acci 
dent,  they  had  met ;  he  had  never  detected  anything 
in  her  to  prepare  him  for  that.  Again,  the  meeting 
had  occurred  in  the  house  of  a  man  whose  reputation 
Warren  knew  to  be  scandalous.  What  had  been 
her  errand  there?  The  girl  whom  Warren  had 
known  and  loved  in  his  boyhood  had  revealed  no 
trait  that  would  answer  that  question.  No ;  she 
had  receded  beyond  the  grasp  of  his  faith  and 
knowledge ;  she  was  not  what  he  had  believed  her 
to  be,  and  she  avoided  him  for  sufficient  cause. 
Why,  then,  did  he  follow  her  with  unavailing 
thoughts  ?  Did  he  love  her,  after  all  ?  He  would 
not  admit  it.  Why  should  he  love  her  more  than 
on  that  day  when  he  had  asked  her  to  marry  him  ? 
And  since  she  was  lost  to  him  he  must  turn  else 
where  for  compensation.  He  must  take  his  ambi 
tion  to  wife  ;  and,  if  Dray  ton  wished  it,  and  Lizzie 
were  willing,  why  not  take  her,  too?  She  was 
pretty,  graceful,  and  pliable  ;  not  likely  to  engross 
him  too  deeply,  and  capable  enough,  no  doubt,  of 
filling  and  ornamenting  the  vacant  interstices  of 
existence.  From  the  worldly  point  of  view  the 


A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  223 

match  was  splendid.  From  any  point  of  view  it 
was  reasonable  and  expedient.  And  yet  he  had 
never  felt  less  happy  than  at  this  moment. 

He  returned  to  his  chair  and  sat  down. 

"  I  need  scarcely  say,"  Dray  ton  remarked,  "  that 
I  don't  expect  you  to  make  up  your  mind  on  so 
grave  a  matter  immediately.  Think  it  over  for  a 
day  or  two  "  — 

"  There's  no  necessity  for  that ;  my  only  doubt 
would  be  whether  I  ought  to  accept  so  fine  a  gift. 
But  that's  your  lookout,  Dray  ton.  If  she'll  have 
rne  I'll  have  her,  and  the  s-sooner  the  better  ! " 

Drayton  reached  forward  and  took  Warren's  hand 
in  his. 

"  This  is  a  day  to  which  we  shall  both  look  back 
with  satisfaction,  as  long  as  we  live,"  he  said.  "  It 
realizes  the  best  part  of  my  hopes ;  the  rest  is 
struggle  and  uncertainty.  But,  now  that  we  are 
bound  together  by  such  a  tie,  we  ought  to  be  a 
match  for  anything." 

"You  may  count  on  me  for  all  I'm  worth,"  re 
turned  Warren,  with  a  reckless  feeling.  He  longed 
to  be  in  activity,  — to  be  absorbed  heart  and  soul  in 
something  —  no  matter  what.  The  less  he  looked 
inward,  henceforth,  the  better  for  him  ;  he  must  find 
all  his  interest  and  comfort  in  what  lay  without. 


224  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

But  it  is  remarkable  how  insignificant  the  outward 
world  seems  to  a  man  when  the  inner  one  is  closed 
to  him. 

"I  have  never  doubted  you,"  Drayton  said  ;  "and 
you  may  count  on  me  to  show  you  work  worth  your 
doing.  You  shall  live  at  the  centre  of  things,  and 
make  the  history  that  other  men  will  spend  the  next 
century  in  writing.  Let  me  see  :  I  think  there  will 
be  time  to  open  the  matter,  at  least,  before  Lizzie 
comes  in ;  after  that  there  will  be  affairs  of  another 
kind  to  listen  to.  My  first  step  —  to  plunge  at 
once  in  medias  res  —  will  be  to  annex  Mexico." 
Here  Drayton  made  a  pause,  as  if  to  afford  Warren 
an  opportunity  for  an  exclamation ;  but  the  latter 
only  said,  "All  right.  I  am  willing  to  annex 
Canada  and  Japan  into  the  bargain,  if  you  will  fur 
nish  the  commissariat  and  plans  of  campaign." 

"Mexico  will  be  particularly  useful  to  us,  outside 
of  her  intrinsic  value,"  Drayton  explained  ;  "  for  the 
annexation  will  not  be  accomplished  without  diffi 
culties,  and  it  will  go  hard  if  some  of  those  diffi 
culties  don't  bring  us  into  trouble  with  the  English 
possessions  in  the  West  Indies." 

"I  begin  to  see.     You  want  a  row." 

"I  want  the  threat  of  one.  Americans  are  as 
cool  and  cautious  as  Scotchmen  in  indifferent 


A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  225 

matters ;    but  touch  them  in   a  sensitive  spot,  and 
they  fire  up  like  Spaniards.     We  might  dilly-dally 
over  Mexico  for  a  hundred  years,  if  we  were  left  to 
ourselves ;  but  if  England  or  any  other  nation  pre 
tends  to  meddle  we  would  swoop  like  a  hawk.     We 
are  the  most  peaceable  people  in  the  world  to-day, 
but  the  martial  spirit  is  beneath  it  all,  just  the  same  ; 
and,  after  giving  all  due  weight  to  the  horrors  of 
war,  I    am    inclined  to    think    the  imminent    pros 
pect  of  war,  if  not  war  itself,  would  do  us  an  im 
mense  deal  of  good.     The  programme  which  I  have 
laid  down  includes  a  vast  stimulus  to  our  army  and 
navy,  and  a  continual  possibility,  for  several  years  to 
come,  of  their  being   brought   to  the    actual   test. 
The  temper  of  the  nation  must  be  changed  ;  there 
must  be  a  controlling    sympathy  in  some  common 
aim  ;  less  cynical  and  jesting  tolerance  ;  more  stern 
ness  and  preoccupation.     Those  are  the  conditions 
under  which  great  leaders  rise  up,  and  the  people 
put   their  whole    faith    in  them.     The   hostility  of 
Europe  can  do  us  very  little    harm,  for  we  are  a 
world  in  ourselves  ;  and,  besides,  Europe  is  likely 
to  have  her  hands  full  of  her  own  troubles  for  a  long 
while  to  come.    But  in  all  moral  and  patriotic  re 
spects,  such  hostility  would  directly  benefit  us." 
"I  thoroughly  agree  with  you,"  said  Warren,  rais- 


226  LOVE -OR  A    NAME. 

ing  himself  in  his  chair,  and  nodding  emphatically. 
"  But  there  is  something  to  be  done  before  beginning 
upon  Mexico.  You  must  elect  your  own  man  for 
President,  and  see  that  he  does  what  you  tell  him." 

"  I  see  that  you  will  need  very  little  instruction," 
said  Dray  ton,  a  little  surprised  at  the  other's  strenu 
ous  and  uncompromising  tone.  "  Yes,  the  President 
must  be  our  property,  and  I  have  been  taking 
measures  for  the  last  year  and  more  to  secure  that 
result." 

tf  The  certain  way  would  be  to  own  both  the  can 
didates,  —  Democratic  and  Eepublican." 

"  Eight  again  !  Upon  my  word,  Warren,  you  are 
more  a  politician  that  I  had  supposed.  But  that  plan 
is  beset  by  various  technical  difficulties.  There  is  a 
third  device,  which  may  turn  out  the  best  of  all ;  and 
that  is,  to  create  a  third  party,  with  a  new  platform, 
and  elect  an  independent  President  on  that.  That 
would  insure  the  confidence  of  a  better  if  not  a  larger 

o 

class  of  voters  than  any  other.  And,  as  things  look 
now,  the  approaching  campaign  would  be  a  capital 
opportunity  to  attempt  such  a  coup.  Eeform  will 
be  the  great  rally  ing-cry." 

"Well,  we'll  suppose  our  man  elected  one  way  or 
another.  What  is  to  be  my  position  ?  " 

"  What  would  you  like  ?  " 


A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  227 

"An  obscure  one  to  begin  with.  I  am  too  young 
to  come  to  the  front  at  once.  But  you  must  create 
an  emergency,  as  you  call  it,  and  I  must  be  called  on 
to  meet  it.  That  must  lead  to  my  being  advanced. 
To  make  a  long  story  short,  Drayton,  I  shall  look 
to  you  for  opportunities,  and  plenty  of  them  ;  and 
you  may  depend  on  me  for  the  rest.  Within  a  year 
I  shall  be  where  I  want  to  be,  and  the  people  will 
have  got  used  to  me.  Then  the  worst  will  be  over." 

"  You  will  find,  when  we  come  to  go  over  the  de 
tails  together,  that  only  your  personal  failure  can 
stand  in  the  wray  of  your  success.  And  I  wouldn't 
protect  you  against  that,  if  I  could  !  " 

"  No.  The  day  I  am  free  of  you  will  be  the  day 
you  will  realize  what  I  can  do  for  both  of  us." 

"Of course,"  continued  Drayton,  "we  shall  need 
more  than  one  administration  to  thoroughly  establish 
our  policy.  The  dictatorship  must  seem  to  be  forced 
upon  us  by  the  popular  desire, —  not  sought  by  our 
selves.  The  form  of  electing  a  new  President  every 
four  years  must  still  be  observed  ;  but  the  power  be 
hind  the  President  will  remain  always  unchanged." 

"  Just  as  Cassar  retained  the  consuls  and  the 
Senate  long  after  they  had  become  mere  figure 
heads.  But  our  people  are  cleverer  than  the 
Populus  liomanus,  and  will  see  through  "  — 


228  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

"  I  hear  the  bell :  she  has  come,"  Dray  ton  inter 
posed,  rising.  "  I  shall  leave  you.  Say  a  few 
words  to  her  in  the  sense  we  have  agreed  upon  " 

"I  would  rather  you  stayed,"  said  Warren, 
quickly. 

The  stepping  of  small  feet  sounded  along  the  hall, 
and  Lizzie  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  library. 
She  was  dressed  in  a  silk  velvet  pelisse  trimmed 
with  fur,  and  wore  a  turban-like  hat,  which  suited 
the  soft,  piquant  loveliness  of  her  face  well.  But 
her  expression  was  dejected,  and  the  sight  of  Warren 
did  not  brighten  it.  She  murmured  some  apology 
for  intruding,  and  was  about  to  retire. 

"  Come  in,  —  come  in,  dear,"  said  Drayton, 
smilingly.  "  We  were  just  now  speaking  about 
you." 

"About  me?"  she  repeated,  with  a  slight  blush. 
"I  thought  men  always  talked  business." 

"  Well  —  and  doesn't  their  most  engrossing  busi 
ness  often  relate  to  women?"  her  father  rejoined. 

Warren  had  risen,  and  he  now  came  forward, 
holding  out  his  hand ;  and  Lizzie  allowed  him  to 
take  hers,  though  with  a  shrinking  and  suspicious 
air. 

"  I  wanted  your  father  to  be  present  while  I  said 
to  you  the  most  important  thing  I  shall  ever  have  to 


A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  229 

say  to  any  woman,"  he  began  in  a  very  gentle  tone, 
which  vibrated  a  little.  "  I  won't  pretend  to  hope 
that  you  have  anticipated  it  —  I  d-don't  know  how 
to  recommend  myself  in  conventional  ways.  I  can 
only  say  that  your  father  and  I  have  the  same  hopes 
and  interests ;  and  if  you  could  only  think  it  possible 
to  care  for  me,  —  to  be  my  w-wife  "  — 

Lizzie  withdrew  her  hand,  and  stood  facing  him 
with  dilated  eyes  and  dry  lips.  And  yet  she  had 
expected  that  this  thing  would  some  time  occur,  and 
she  had  often  considered  the  manner  in  which  she 
would  deal  with  it.  But  the  moment  seemed  espe 
cially  inopportune ;  the  conditions  were  not  as  she 
had  pictured  them  in  her  mind  ;  above  all,  she  was 
embarrassed  by  the  presence  of  her  father,  to  whom 
she  had,  in  truth,  intimated  more  or  less  definitely 
that  she  would  consider  the  proposal  favorably. 
She  had  done  this  partly  in  order  to  escape  his  per 
suasions  and  partly  in  order  to  divert  any  possible 
impression  on  his  part  as  to  her  real  situation.  But 
now  the  crisis  was  come,  and  her  presence  of  mind 
was  gone ;  the  very  gravity  of  the  predicament  in 
creased  her  inability  to  evade  it.  When  a  woman 
is  forced  to  speak  without  knowing  what  to  say  she 
nearly  always  says  the  last  thing  she  wanted  to. 

"Q  Mr.    Bell,"    she   exclaimed    in    a    stumbling 


2oO  LOVE— OR  A   NAME 

way,  "I'm  sure  I  didn't  mean  you  should  see  I 
cared  for  you  —  I  mean  —  father  ought  not  to  have 
told  you  that  I  thought  of  being  your — anybody's 
wife.  I  was  very  happy  at  home  —  I  had  no  idea 
that  you  really" —  She  stopped,  for  it  was  worse 
than  useless  to  go  on.  Some  perverse  demon  was 
making  her  seem  to  insinuate  everything  that  she 
was  most  anxious  to  repudiate.  Even  her  trembling 
and  blushing  were  misleading,  and  she  knew  it. 
She  stood  there  like  a  bashful  maiden  suffused  with 
lovely  shame  at  the  revelation  of  her  heart's  secret. 

Warren  on  the  other  hand,  might  have  interpreted 
her  aright,  had  love  been  in  his  eyes  to  sharpen 
them  ;  but,  as  the  whole  matter  was  perfunctory  on 
his  part,  he  constrained  himself  to  see  in  her  be 
havior  only  what  favored  his  purpose,  though  it 
opposed  his  desire.  And,  with  his  innate  impatience 
of  delays  and  uncertainties,  he  hurried  on  to  com 
mit  himself  beyond  the  possibility  of  withdrawal 
while  the  iron  was  hot. 

"  Try  to  forgive  my  clumsiness,"  he  said,  taking 
both  her  hands,  which  she  now  surrendered  to  him 
with  a  sigh  that  meant  despair,  but  sounded  like  timid 
pleasure.  "  My  life  will  show  you  what  I  feel  for 
you  better  than  my  words  can.  This  must  seem 
very  sudden  to  you ;  but,  if  we  had  known  each 


A  LEAP  IN  THE  DARK.  231 

other  all  our  lives,  it  would  be  the  same  at  last.  I 
will  try  to  make  you  happy,  Lizzie  ;  and  if  I  succeed 
it  will  give  me  more  happiness  than  I  ought  to  hope 
for." 

He  waited  a  moment,  looking  down  at  her ;  but 
as  she  did  not  lift  her  eyes  or  speak,  he  bent  and 
kissed  her  lightly  on  the  cheek.  She  started  at  the 
touch  of  his  lips,  and  caught  her  breath  ;  for  an 
instant  she  looked  in  his  eyes  in  an  appealing,  terri 
fied  way ;  then,  stepping  back  from  him,  she  turned 
and  left  the  room,  with  her  hands  over  her  face. 

"  I  was  in  the  way,  as  I  knew  I  should  be,  and 
the  little  girl  was  frightened,"  Dray  ton  said,  coming 
forward  and  laying  a  hand  on  Warren's  shoulder. 
"But  she  managed  to  indicate  her  feelings  very 
clearly  —  and  very  prettily,  though  I  say  it ;  and  I 
can  congratulate  you  on  having  made  her  and  me — 
and  I  hope  yourself — very  happy  !  " 

"  Yes  ;  that  is  settled,"  returned  Warren,  regard 
ing  the  other  with  a  preoccupied  gaze.  He  shook 
his  head,  took  a  long  breath  and  added,  "Now  I'm 
r-ready  for  anything." 


232  LOVE -OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A    SURPRISE. 

SUSAN  WAYNE  had  evidently,  for  some  time  past, 
had  a  secret  on  her  mind ;  in  fact  she  had  frequently 
admitted  as  much  to  Nell,  at  the  same  time  entreat 
ing  her  not  to  ask  what  it  was.  Nell  complied  with 
this  request  with  perhaps  even  more  loyalty  than 
Susan  desired ;  for  a  secret  that  nobody  tries  to  find 
out  is  hardly  a  full-fledged  secret  at  all. 

That  the  secret  related  in  some  way  to  the  pro 
jected  Home,  was,  indeed,  apparent  enough.  After 
the  interview  already  described  between  the  ladies 
and  Uncle  Joseph  the  idea  of  renting  the  Peter-and- 
Paul  establishment  had  fallen  through ;  several 
other  houses  had  been  examined  and  rejected,  on 
one  ground  or  another,  until,  two  or  three  months 
ago,  Susan  had  suddenly  become  mysterious  ;  and, 
while  deprecating  any  further  search,  had  neverthe 
less  declared  that  it  would  be  "  all  right,"  and  she 
dared  say  they  would  get  just  what  they  wanted  if 
they  waited  a  little.  Nell,  meanwhile,  had  sufficient 
occupation  for  her  thoughts  in  the  consideration  of 


A   SURPRISE.  233 

various  details  of  the  scheme  after  it  should  have 
been  started,  as  well  as  of  other  matters  of  private 
interest  to  herself ;  and  she  did  not  think  it  likely  that 
Susan  would  get  into  any  very  serious  scrape  with 
out  betraying  herself  in  time.  When,  therefore, 
her  friend  proposed  one  afternoon  that  they  should 
take  a  drive,  accompanying  the  suggestion  with 
much  enigmatical  elephantine  pantomime,  Nell  came 
to  the  conviction  that  the  secret  was  on  the  eve  of  a 
happy  delivery,  and  she  set  forth  with  a  serene 
mind. 

They  drove  through  the  park,  and  then  turning  to 
the  right,  entered  the  neighborhood  of  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-fifth  street.  Here  the  houses  were  less 
compactly  placed,  and  showed  a  greater  variety  and 
independence  in  style  of  architecture  than  in  the  lower 
portion  of  the  city.  There  were  gardens  and  open 
spaces,  and  trees —  which,  though  now  bare  of  leaves 
gave  promise  of  grateful  verdure  in  summer  —  lined 
the  streets.  There  was  a  sense  of  air  and  elevation, 
topographical,  if  not  social;  though  even  in  the 
latter  respect  the  region  was  quite  unexceptionable. 
At  length  they  approached  a  large  edifice,  of  almost 
colonial  aspect,  built  of  ancient  brick,  and  standing 
back  from  the  road  in  a  garden  of  its  own.  Though 
ancient  in  comparison  with  its  neighbors,  it  was 


234  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

evidently  in  excellent  repair ;  and  it  had  a  sumptu 
ous,  hospitable,  home-like  air  with  it,  such  as  the 
modern  architect  seldom  tries  for,  and  still  more 
seldom  attains.  Two  large  elms  grew  on  either  side 
of  it,  and  their  arching  branches  rose  above  the 
broad  roof.  The  coachman  turned  his  horses  in  at 
the  carriage-gate,  and  reined  them  in  at  the  door. 

"  What  a  pleasant  place  !  "  said  Nell.  "  What  is 
it?" 

"  Oh,  it  was  recommended  to  me  as  likely  to  suit 
us  for  the  Home,  you  know,  and  I  thought  I'd 
bring  you  up  to  look  at  it.  It  does  look  nice, 
doesn't  it?  Well,  come  in." 

The  wide  door  opened  as  they  ascended  the  steps, 
and  they  entered  a  spacious  and  well-lighted  hall, 
with  an  ample  staircase  mounting  upwards  in  the 
distance.  The  house  was  even  more  extensive  than 
it  appeared  from  the  outside.  Several  doors  on 
each  side  of  the  hall  opened  into  airy  rooms,  quietly 
but  comfortably  furnished,  and  as  neat  as  wax. 
There  were  no  signs  of  present  occupation,  and  yet 
everything  seemed  ready  for  occupants.  Each  room 
had  pictures  on  the  walls,  growing  plants  in  pots  in 
the  windows,  and  books  on  a  book-shelf.  In  the 
rear  was  a  large  kitchen  and  offices,  fitted  up  com 
pletely  with  all  necessary  implements  and  utensils, 


A  SURPRISE.  235 

scoured  till  they  shone  again.  The  hall  passed 
through  the  house,  and  opened  at  the  further  end 
into  an  enclosed  garden,  where  there  were  half-a- 
dozen  gnarled  apple-trees,  and  straight  paths  be 
tween  grass-plots  bordered  with  currant-bushes. 

"  This  is  almost  as  good  as  Hickory  !  "  exclaimed 
Nell,  giving  the  warmest  praise  that  her  unforgetting 
heart  would  allow. 

"I  am  so  glad  you  like  it,  dear,"  returned  Susan, 
with  her  broad  smile.  "I  thought  you  would.  But 
we  haven't  been  upstairs  yet ;  there  are  two  flights." 
And  she  led  the  way,  climbing  upward  with  an 
expression  of  genial  energy  in  her  broad  back  that 
was  agreeably  in  harmony  with  the  character  of  the 
surroundings. 

The  upper  part  of  the  house  was  worthy  of  the 
handsome  and  substantial  basement.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  end  to  the  bedrooms,  and  it  was 
hard  to  say  which  was  the  brightest  and  pret 
tiest.  The  family  which  had  originally  inhabited 
this  dwelling  must  have  been  a  large  one,  and 
much  given  to  the  exercise  of  hospitality.  The 
third  floor  was  a  repetition  of  the  second,  on  a 
somewhat  reduced  scale  as  regarded  the  height  of 
the  rooms  ;  and  the  whole  was  surmounted  by  a 
cupola,  from  which  there  was  a  fine  view  of  Har- 


236  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

lem  river  and  Highbridge,  and  the  wooded  heights 
of  Morrisania. 

"Are  you  sure  we  can  have  this  place?"  demanded 
Nell,  turning  upon  her  friend,  when  they  had  fin 
ished  their  promenade  through  the  apartments. 
w  Isn't  it  too  dear,  or  something  ?  " 

"No,"  Susan  replied,  beaming  anew;  "I  believe 
it's  quite  reasonable.  And  you  can  see  for  yourself 
how  healthy  and  clean  it  is.  And  it's  very  accessi 
ble,  you  know,  and  yet  not  too  much  in  the  town." 

"  But  how  is  it  that  there's  no  one  here,  and  yet 
everything  is  in  such  good  order  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  see  the  people  that  owned  it  don't 
live  in  it,  — there  aren't  enough  of  them  to  fill  it,  I 
suppose ;  so  they  wanted  to  dispose  of  it,  and  so 
they  would  naturally  put  it  in  order.  I  don't  think 
we  should  need  to  make  many  alterations,  do  you?" 

"  None  at  all  that  I  see.  We  wanted  a  home 
like  place,  and  this  is  like  a  real  home.  It  only 
needs  to  have  people  in  it  to  be  perfect.  Our  poor 
people,  though !  "  she  added,  walking  to  a  window 
and  gazing  towards  the  city. 

"  How  soon  could  we  have  possession  of  it  ? "  she 
asked,  turning  again  after  a  moment. 

"  Oh,  we  could  have  it  immediately,  I  believe. 
We  might  begin  to-morrow." 


A   SURPRISE.  237 

"  Who  is  the  agent  —  the  business  man  ?  " 

"I  don't  know  that  I  can  give  his  name,"  said 
Susan,  with  a  rather  ambiguous  twinkle  of  her  little 
eyes.  "  But  we  might  have  him  call  on  us  when 
ever  we  wish." 

"I  was  thinking,"  Nell  went  on,  "that,  if  it  could 
be  done,  it  might  be  better  to  buy  this  place  outright. 
By  and  by  this  land  will  become  more  valuable,  and 
other  houses  will  be  built,  and  then  the  rents  will 
rise.  And  it  would  be  comfortable  to  feel  that  there 
was  no  landlord  to  be  responsible  to.  That  is  for 
you  to  decide,  though." 

"  It  was  just  exactly  what  I  thought  all  along," 
exclaimed  Susan,  clapping  her  plump  hands  to 
gether.  "  It  ought  to  belong  to  us  ;  and  it  shall  — 
shan't  it?" 

"  It  would  come  to  a  good  deal,  I'm  afraid,  — 
with  all  the  furniture,  too.  Have  you  any  idea 
what  the  selling  price  would  be?" 

"  O  Nell  !  my  dearest,  what  difference  does  that 
make  if  we  are  satisfied  with  the  place  ?  If  you  say 
yes,  then  we'll  consider  it  ours,  and  that's  the  end  of 
it!" 

"  It  is  easy  to  say  yes  ;  I  only  wish  I  could  do 
something  that  would  give  me  more  right  to  say  it," 
returned  Nell. 


238  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"Do  something  !  "  cried  Susan,  taking  her  in  her 
arms  and  kissing  her.  "  Why,  you  do  everything  ! 
I  only  sit  and  look  on  !  I  don't  feel  as  if  I  had  any 
right  to  be  here  unless  you  let  me  !  I  can  tell  you 
one  thing,  —  this  house  would  never  have  been 
ours  if  it  hadn't  been  for  you  ;  we  shouldn't  ever 
have  known  that  there  was  such  a  place." 

"  How  can  that  be  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  You 
knew  of  it  before  I  did." 

"Never  mind!  that  is  the  real  truth,  and  you 
will  understand  how  directly.  By  the  way,  come 
downstairs  again.  There  is  one  thing  you  haven't 
seen,  and  I  hope  you'll  think  it  the  best  of  all. 
And  it  will  explain  everything,  too.  Come  !  " 

As  they  returned  to  the  basement  Nell  was  silent 
and  perplexed ;  and  a  strange,  unreasonable  hope 
was  trying  to  force  itself  into  recognition  in  her 
heart.  She  told  herself  that  it  was  absurd  and  im 
possible,  and  yet  she  could  not  dismiss  it.  More 
over,  Susan's  next  words  seemed  almost  to  justify 
and  confirm  it. 

"  When  you  like  a  thing  very  much,  as  we  like 
this  house,  for  instance,"  Susan  said,  "  and  every 
thing  about  it  is  just  the  way  we  wanted  it  lo  be, 
did  you  ever  think,  dear,  whether  there  was  any 
thing  that  could  make  it  pleasanter  to  possess  it?  " 


A    SURPRISE.  239 

"  How  do  you  mean?"  asked  Nell,  quickly. 

"Well,  suppose  there  was  a  beautiful  flower,  that 
was  as  lovely  as  it  could  be  in  itself,  so  that  it  would 
seem  impossible  to  improve  it,  don't  you  think  you 
would  value  it  more,  and  feel  happier  in  having  it, 
if  it  were  given  to  you  by  some  one  whom  you  like 
very  much,  and  respected  and  admired,  and  who 
gave  it  to  you  because  he  thought  very  highly  of 
you?" 

"But  a  rose  is  not  a  house,"  replied  Nell,  half 
laughing  and  half  grave. 

"  A  house  is  as  good  as  a  rose  if  the  right  person 
gives  it  in  the  right  way,"  Susan  answered,  with  rare 
epigrammatic  point.  ' *  But  now  I  shan't  say  a  word 
more.  Come  into  this  room,  and  you  will  see  for 
yourself." 

Nell's  heart,  which  had  been  growing  unnaturally 
indolent  of  late,  began  to  beat  hard.  Every  young 
woman  will,  at  some  moment  of  her  life,  anticipate 
a  miracle,  especially  if  it  be  a  happy  one.  And  the 
miracle  that  was  dazzling  Nell's  eyes  just  now,  and 
bringing  tears  into  them,  was  to  the  effect  that 
Warren  Bell  was  in  some  way  concerned  in  this 
affair.  How  or  why,  she  could  not  imagine  ;  still 
less  was  it  conceivable  that  he  and  Susan  would 
have  met  and  conspired  in  this  way,  without  Nell's 


240  LOVE— OR   A   NAME. 

ever  suspecting  it.  If  this  was  Susan's  secret  it  was 
a  secret  indeed.  But  it  was  not  to  be  believed,  and 
the  only  reason  Nell  could  have  given  for  believing 
it  was  that  it  would  be  the  greatest  happiness  (as 
she  fancied)  that  God  could  vouchsafe  to  her. 

But  life  supplies  very  few  well-authenticated  in 
stances  of  this  kind  of  dramatic  felicity.  When  the 
door  opened  and  Nell  entered  with  her  soul  in  her 
eyes,  she  saw  a  stout,  elderly  gentleman  rise  from  a 
table  and  come  forward  to  meet  her,  with  an  insinuat 
ing  smile  on  his  shrewd,  massive  face,  and  a  deed  of 
sale  in  his  hand.  The  revulsion  was  so  abrupt  and 
so  violent  that  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  a  diabolical 
enchantment  had  suddenly  transformed  Warren  Bell 
into  the  repulsive  similitude  of  Uncle  Joseph.  But 
there  was  no  enchantment  about  the  matter.  Uncle 
Joseph  was  there  in  solid  flesh  and  blood,  and 
primed  with  a  graceful  little  speech,  conveying  to 
Nell,  as  sole  and  absolute  owner,  the  title-deeds  of 
the  house  and  estate  which  she  had  just  been  so 
frankly  admiring.  He  had  no  doubt  that  he  was 
doing  a  very  graceful  and  chivalric  act,  and  one  that 
could  not  fail  to  make  a  tender  impression  even  on 
the  chilly  snow  of  her  virgin  heart. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  241 


CHAPTER  XX. 

QUESTIONS    AND    ANSWERS. 

IT  was  near  dinner-time  when  the  two  ladies 
reached  home.  During  the  drive  thither  Nell 
spoke  not  a  single  word,  and  it  was  easy  even 
for  the  unobservant  Susan  to  see  that  she  was 
very  indignant  about  something.  But,  though 
Susan  addressed  many  remarks  and  several  direct 
questions  to  her,  Nell  made  no  more  reply  than 
if  she  had  been  stone  deaf;  and  her  poor  friend 
gradually  worked  herself  into  an  extreme  state 
of  nervous  agitation.  They  went  up  to  dress, 
still  in  silence ;  but  while  Susan  was  in  the 
midst  of  her  toilet,  there  was  a  knock  at  her 
door,  and  Nell  came  in,  looking  very  cloudy  and 
ominous. 

"May  I  ask  you  some  questions,  Susan?"  she 
said,  in  a  monotonous  voice. 

"Oh,  yes,  dear  —  anything!"  Susan  exclaimed, 
almost  tearfully.  "  I  only  wish  you  would." 

"  I  couldn't  say  anything  before ;  but  I  have 
thought  that  perhaps  you  didn't  know  all  that  was 


242  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

to  happen.     Of  course  you  knew  that  the  house  was 
a  gift  from  —  Judge  Muhlbach  ?  " 

"  But  you  know,  Nell,  it  pleased  him  so  to  help 
us  ;  and  the  house  had  belonged  to  a  relative  of  his, 
who  left  it  to  him  in  his  will,  so  it  didn't  cost  him 
anything ;  and  it  was  so  exactly  what  he  knew  we 
wanted  ;  and  he  sympathized  so  with  us  !  I'm  sure 
I  thought  you  would  be  pleased,  —  I  don't  see  why 
you  shouldn't  be  ;  and  I  thought  it  would  make  you 
like  him  better ;  for  it  has  seemed  to  me  sometimes 
that  you  didn't  appreciate  him  as  much  as  he  de 
served,  for  he  is  the  best  man  in  the  "  — 

"I  believe  you  think  so,"  Nell  interrupted, 
sternly ;  and  there  was  a  little  silence.  "  Did  you 
know,"  she  presently  resumed,  "what  he  was  going 
to  say  to  me  in  that  room  ?  " 

"  He  was  going  to  tell  you  how  it  all  was,  and  to 
present  you  with  the  title-deeds,  —  what  else  was 
there  to  say?  "  Susan  demanded  plaintively. 

"Then  why  did  you  go  out  of  the  room,  and  stay 
out  so  long,  and  leave  him  and  me  alone  there  to 
gether?"  continued  Nell,  her  voice  sharpening  a 
little,  while  her  large  eyes  were  fixed  steadily  upon 
the  other's  broad,  appealing  countenance. 

"  Why,  Nell !  you  know  it  was  only  an  accident 
at  first,"  Susan  exclaimed  earnestly.  "  You  know 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  243 

the  care-taker  came  and  asked  me  to  see  the  kitchen 
boiler,  which  we  had  forgotten  to  look  at ;  and  then 
she  kept  me  quite  a  while  talking  about  all  sorts  of 
things ;  and  then,  when  I  was  going  back,  I 
thought  may  be  you'd  better  have  your  talk  with 
uncle  alone,  and  that  I'd  only  be  in  the  way. 
But  indeed,  Nell,  I  never  dreamed  you  wouldn't 
like  it.  You  know  he's  old  enough  to  be  your 
father  —  or  mine  either;  and  he's  the  best 
man  "  — 

"  He  is  not  my  father,  or  even  my  uncle  ;  and  I 
don't  believe  there  was  so  much  accident  as  you 
think  about  the  care-taker  coming  to  ask  you  about 
the  boiler.  He  had  arranged  it  all  beforehand ; 
and  it  was  not  about  the  title-deeds  that  he  wished 
to  speak  to  me." 

"Dear  me!  What  could  it  have  been,  then?" 
cried  Susan,  an  accent  of  irrepressible  curiosity 
penetrating  through  her  distress. 

The  solemnity  of  Nell's  features  relaxed  some 
what.  "I'm  glad  you  don't  know,"  she  said.  "I 
thought  you  must,  and  that  you  had  agreed  with 
him  to  give  him  the  opportunity.  He  said  that  — 
well,  he  asked  me  to  marry  him." 

«  Nell !  —  My  Uncle  Joseph  !  —  Marry  him  !  "  — 
These  sentences  came  from  Susan  in  a  feeble  treble, 


244  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

for  she  was  quite  out  of  breath  with  astonishment. 
"  But  —  are  you  —  did  you  —  you  didn't  —  ?  " 

"  We  are  not  going  to  be  married,"  Nell  said, 
with  a  slight  nervous  shudder.  She  sat  for  a  few 
moments  looking  down  at  her  hands,  which  were 
crossed  in  her  lap. 

"  Uncle  Joseph  !  "  murmured  Susan  again ,  still 
groping  in  depths  of  wonder.  "  What  did  he  do 
when  you  refused  him?"  she  inquired,  after  a 
pause. 

"  He  talked  a  great  deal.  He  told  me  how  rich 
he  could  make  me.  He  seemed  to  think  that  a  wife 
was  something  you  can  go  to  market  and  buy.  At 
last  he  wanted  to  know  whether  I  preferred  any  one 
to  him  ;  I  told  him,  almost  any  one  !  Then  he  asked 
why  I  objected  to  him?  At  last  he  made  me 
angry,  and  I  told  him  why,  and  I  told  him  just  what 
I  thought." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  how  awful  it  was  !  Won't  you  tell 
me,  dear?  " 

"  I  said  that,  the  first  time  I  saw  him  he  had 
called  the  man  that  I  care  for  more  than  any  one 
else  a  scamp.  You  remember,  Susan  ;  it  was  he  we 
met  coming  out,  that  day  we  went  to  see  your 
uncle.  That  was  Warren  Bell.  He  once  asked  me 
to  be  his  wife,  and  I  said  no,  —  not  because  I  didn't 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  245 

love  him,  but  because  I  did.  I  came  here  so  as  to 
be  near  him.  I  wanted  to  be  glad  when  he  was 
glad,  and  sorry  when  he  was  sorry,  and  warn  him 
or  protect  him  if  he  fell  into  any  danger.  But  I 
thought  that  a  country  girl  like  me  would  only  be  a 
burden  on  him  as  a  wife  ;  and,  unless  he  recognized 
me  on  that  day,  he  thinks  I  am  still  in  Hickory. 
Thank  Heaven  I'm  not,  though  ! "  she  exclaimed, 
her  emotion  flashing  out  for  a  moment. 

Susan  clasped  her  hands  before  her  ample  breast. 
"  Nell,  how  romantic  !  And  you  never  told  me  a 
word  of  it  all  this  time  !  "  Indeed,  this  fact  seemed  to 
Susan's  mind  the  most  remarkable  feature  of  the  af 
fair.  "  But  what  did  Uncle  Joseph  say  ?  "  she  added. 

"  A  great  many  things  ;  and  some  that  I  thank 
him  for.  He  told  me  what  Warren  Bell  is  doing  — 
how  he  is  being  used  by  other  men  for  something 
bad  and  dangerous.  I  had  feared  that,  for  I  know 
how  generous  and  impetuous  he  is ;  and,  from  time 
to  time  since  I  have  been  here,  I  have  learned 
things  about  him ;  but  I  never  should  have  learned 
so  much  that  is  important  except  from  your  uncle, 
who  told  it  to  me  to  make  me  believe  that  Warren 
is  as  bad  as  the  men  who  are  making  use  of  him. 
I  don't  know  how  he  found  out  what  he  told  ;  in  no 
honest  way,  I'm  sure." 


246  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

"  My  head  is  all  turned  round  !  "  murmured  Susan. 
"What  shall  you  do?" 

"  I  can  say  nothing  about  that.  But  I  told  your 
uncle  that  I  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  his  gift 
of  the  Home.  He  may  give  it  to  you,  if  he  chooses, 
and  marry  you,  if  you'll  have  him, — you  said  he 
wasn't  your  real  uncle,  —  but  then  it  will  be  no 
concern  of  mine.  I  shall  be  very  sorry,  Susan,  not 
to  be  with  you  as  we  had  hoped,  —  and  the  house 
couldn't  be  better,  — but  I  will  accept  nothing  from 
him,  nor  be  associated  with  him  in  any  way." 

At  this  announcement  Susan  burst  into  tears. 
She  had  been  uncertain  whether  to  laugh  or  cry  for 
some  time  past,  and  would  have  probably  ended  by 
doing  both  had  not  the  feeling  that  she  was  aban 
doned  by  her  best  friend  determined  her  in  favor  of 
the  latter.  Nell  was  somewhat  disturbed  by  this 
manifestation  ;  she  had  been  thinking  much  more  of 
her  resentment  against  Muhlbach  than  Susan's  affec 
tion  for  her ;  and,  her  whole  nature  being  in  an 
exalted  state,  she  vibrated  much  more  sensitively 
than  usual  to  the  touch  of  emotion.  But,  just  as 
the  drops  were  trembling  in  her  own  eyes,  Susan 
was  visited  by  an  inspiration  which  brought  a  smile 
sputtering  —  so  to  speak  —  to  the  surface  of  her 
tears. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  247 

rr  Why  shouldn't  I  pay  uncle  whatever  price  the 
house  is  worth?"  she  demanded.  "  Then  we  should 
be  under  no  obligations  to  him,  and  we  could  still 
be  together.  Will  that  satisfy  you,  dear?  If  you 
leave  me,  I  declare  I  believe  I  should  die  ! " 

"I  can't  advise  you  about  a  thing  like  that,"  said 
Nell,  hesitatingly.  "  You  must  not  buy  it  for  my 
sake,  but  only  if  you  would  prefer  to  buy  it  any 
way.  If  you  don't  mind  being  obliged  to  him, 
you  mustn't  let  " — 

"  But  I  do  mind  !  and  I'm  infinitely  obliged  to 
you,  dear,  for  showing  me  how  wrong  it  was.  I 
never  know  the  right  thing  to  do  unless  I'm  told ; 
and,  as  I  always  say,  I  depend  on  you  to  do  it.  I 
was  so  busy  thinking  how  pleased  you  would  be  with 
the  house  that  the  other  part  of  the  business  never 
entered  iny  head.  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  that's  set 
tled  !  "  and  she  kissed  her  friend  vigorously.  "  I 
wish  you'd  tell  me  more  about  Mr.  Bell,"  she  con 
tinued.  "Is  he  worthy  of  you?  and  what  sort  of 
danger  is  he  in  ?  " 

The  answer  to  these  questions  (though  they  were 
only  partial  ones)  could  not  be  rendered  in  a  few 
minutes,  and  dinner  was  kept  waiting  an  uncon 
scionable  while.  But  when  at  last  the  two  friends 
went  downstairs,  their  relations  were  more  affec- 


248  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

tionate  and  harmonious  than  they  had  ever  been 
yet. 

One  forenoon,  not  long  afterwards,  Nell  was  on 
her  way  up  Fifth  avenue,  when,  on  a  street  corner, 
she  met  Warren  Bell  face  to  face.  On  this  occasion 
Nell  did  not  pull  down  her  veil.  She  had  made  up 
her  mind  to  speak  to  Warren  the  next  time  she  saw 
him.  As  their  eyes  met,  a  momentary  tremor  went 
through  her,  and  then  she  became  composed.  War 
ren  dropped  his  eye-glasses,  recovered  them,  and 
held  out  his  hand,  into  which  she  immediately  put 
her  own.  She  noticed  that  he  was  paler  than  he 
used  to  be,  and  that  a  change  had  come  over  his 
manner.  It  was  tense  and  restless.  A  certain  in 
ward  repose,  which  had  been  characteristic  of  him, 
was  gone. 

"  So  you  remember  me,  after  all !  "  he  said,  with 
a  smile  that  came  and  went  abruptly. 

"  Yes  ;  I  remember  everything,"  was  her  reply. 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  you  have  c-come  to  that  con 
clusion.  In  New  York,  you  know,  one  can't  be 
sure  that  a  friendship  will  last  over  night.  Are  you 
living  here  ?  " 

"  Yes  —  I  have  been." 

"  I  n-noticed  when  I  met  you  —  some  time  ago  — 
you  seemed  to  have  acquaintances.  I  don't  remem- 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  249 

ber  your  ever  having  spoken  of  them  to  me.  Have 
you  known  Judge  Muhlbach  long?  He  is  said  to 
make  himself  very  agreeable  to  ladies." 

Nell  received  this  in  silence.  After  the  first 
words  Warren  had  turned,  and  walked  by  her  side 
up  the  avenue.  They  were  approaching  Fiftieth 
street.  The  white  marble  walls  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church  rose  before  them. 

"  Have  you  ever  been  in  there?  "  she  asked. 

"Never." 

"Will  you  come  in  a  little  while,  so  that  I  can 
say  something  to  you  ?  " 

They  entered,  and  the  spacious  brightness  of  the 
interior,  so  much  more  American  than  Roman, 
opened  around  them  and  above  them.  There  seemed 
to  be  nothing  going  on  ;  a  few  people  were  walking 
about  here  and  there,  and  others  were  sitting  in  pews, 
listening,  perhaps,  to  the  still  small  voice  in  their 
own  souls,  for  no  other  voice  was  audible.  Nell 
and  Warren  came  to  a  pew  on  a  side  aisle,  behind 
one  of  the  great  pillars  of  an  arch,  and  established 
themselves  there,  in  a  reasonably  complete  seclu 
sion.  Neither  of  them  had  been  in  Europe,  and  the 
edifice  seemed  to  them  grand  and  large. 

"  How  different  from  our  little  meeting-house  in 
Hickory  1 "  Nell  remarked. 


250  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

It  was  a  chance  observation,  but  it  went  to  both 
their  hearts.  It  brought  the  old  wooden  church 
before  them,  where  they  had  sat  beside  each  other 
many  a  Sunday,  and  heard  Parson  Barret  preach 
his  sermon, — long  before  they  knew  New  York 
even  by  name.  And  with  this  memory  came  others, 
until  the  immediate  past  seemed  fantastic  and  unsub 
stantial,  and  only  those  childish  days  real. 

"  Why  did  you  leave  Hickory  ?  "  asked  Warren, 
after  a  pause. 

"  I  was  lonely  —  and  an  old  friend  of  mine  in 
vited  me  to  stay  at  her  house,  now  that  her  husband 
is  dead." 

"  You  were  lonely  ?  Oh,  you  mean  without  your 
mother  !  " 

"I  don't  know.  At  any  rate,  here  I  am.  I 
have  seen  you  several  times." 

"  Why  w-wouldn't  you  speak  to  me  ?  " 

"Because,"  replied  Nell,  with  the  simple  direct 
ness  which  was  one  of  the  indications  of  her 
strength,  "I  had  refused  to  come  here  with  you, 
and  I  wished  not  to  interfere  with  you,  unless  there 
were  need." 

"Yes,  you  refused,"  he  said ;  and  after  a  moment 
he  added  quickly,  "  Has  the  need  come,  then,  for 
interfering,  as  you  call  it  ?  " 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  251 

"  I  wanted  to  ask  you  about  a  friend  of  yours, 
Mr.  Drayton.  What  sort  of  a  man  is  he?" 

"Drayton?  He  and  my  father  were  in  college 
together.  He's  a  great  fellow,  —  about  the  ablest 
man  in  New  York,  to  say  the  least  of  him." 

"  Has  he  been  good  to  you  ?  " 

"  As  if  I  were  his  own  son.  He  has  given  me 
his  confidence,  and  everything  except  his  money; 
he  knows  I  don't  want  that.  How  are  you  inter 
ested  in  him?" 

"Does  he  treat  you  so  because  he  cares  for  you, 
or  why  ?  " 

"He  believes  in  me.  We  b-believe  in  each 
other.  We  shall  do  great  things  together.  You 
will  know  before  long." 

"I  know  something  already,"  said  Nell,  turning 
towards  him. 

"Are  you  sure?"  returned  he  with  a  smile. 
"  You  know  a  great  deal,  then." 

"If  I  meant  to  do  a  dangerous  and  wicked 
thing,"  she  continued,  "and  had  a  friend  whom  I 
loved,  I  would  not  send  him  where  the  danger  was, 
and  stay  in  hiding  myself.  And  yet  you  call  Mr. 
Drayton  a  friend." 

Warren  looked  at  her.  "  What  do  you  know  ?  " 
he  demanded. 


252  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"Mr.  Drayton  means  to  betray  his  country,  and 
he  is  going  to  put  you  forward  as  the  traitor." 

"Who  told  you  that?"  he  asked  below  his 
breath. 

"  That  can  make  no  difference .  Why  have  you 
consented  to  such  a  thing,  Warren  ?  " 

"  It  would  have  been  no  friend  of  freedom  and 
honesty  who  put  those  w-words  in  your  mouth.  If 
I'm  a  traitor,  then  so  was  Martin  Luther  and 
William  Tell.  When  thieves  and  swindlers  find 
themselves  checked,  then  they  cry  '  Treason  ! '  You 
haven't  heard  the  other  side." 

"  I  believe  that  our  country  was  given  to  us  by 
God  ;  and  America  would  not  be  America  if  it  were 
not  a  republic.  If  it  is  governed  by  thieves  instead 
of  by  honest  men,  it  is  not  because  we  are  a 
republic.  You  are  only  a  man  like  other  men ; 
how  can  you  tell  how  you  would  use  supreme 
power  if  you  had  it?  Even  if  you  did  no  other 
wrong,  you  would  have  destroyed  the  best  hope  of 
all  the  nations  of  the  world  ;  and  I  would  rather 
see  you  dead,  Warren,  than  live  to  do  that !  " 

Warren's  face  flushed.  "  That  might  easily  be," 
he  said.  "  I  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  it  makes 
much  difference  to  you  whether  I'm  alive  or  not." 

Nell  bit  her  lip  and  was  silent. 


QUESTIONS  AND   ANSWERS.  253 

"  But  since  I  am  alive,"  he  went  on,  passionately, 
"  I  mean  to  do  the  work  that  comes  to  my  hand, 
and  with  all  my  might.  I  was  not  made  to  be  idle. 
And  you  are  not  the  one  who  should  blame  me  if 
the  work  is  not  to  your  liking.  It  is  your  fault  that 
my  only  ambition  is  not  to  make  you  happy." 

"You  don't  do  yourself  justice,  Warren,"  said 
she,  gently.  "You  asked  me  to  marry  you,  not 
because  you  loved  me,  but  because  you  thought  I 
expected  it,  and  needed  your  protection.  You 
were  ready  to  hamper  yourself  with  me  for  the 
sake  of  doing  what  you  thought  was  right.  Only 
to  make  me  happy  would  be  a  poor  ambition ;  but 
to  sacrifice  yourself  for  the  right  is  noble ;  can't  you 
do  it  now,  as  you  did  then  ?  " 

"  So  you  thought  I  didn't  love  you  ?  "  he  asked 
pulling  at  his  mustache. 

"You  never  even  said  you  did,"  returned  she, 
with  a  faint  smile. 

"  Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  thought  I  didn't  love 
you  too.  But  the  worst  is,  that  I  found  out  after 
wards  that  I  did ;  and  that  has  made  a  great  differ 
ence  to  me  ever  since.  However,  since  you  never 
loved  me,  it  amounts  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end." 

She  put  her  hand  on  his,  and  looked  in  his  face. 
Such  a  look  Warren  Bell  never  saw  again  in  the 


254  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

eyes  of  any  woman.  He  beheld  heaven  for  a  mo 
ment, —  but  a  heaven  he  could  not  possess.  She 
did  not  speak,  —  at  least  he  heard  nothing ;  there 
was  a  humming  in  his  ears. 

He  drew  back,  and  rubbed  his  hand  over  his  fore 
head. 

"  I  am  to  be  married  next  week,"  he  said,  and 
gave  a  short,  low  laugh. 

They  both  sat  silent  a  while.  The  great  white 
cathedral  seemed  oppressive  and  dark.  At  last  Nell 
arose  slowly,  supporting  herself  with  her  hand  on 
the  edge  of  the  pew.  She  was  very  pale. 

"  Will  you  forgive  me,  Warren?  "   she  asked. 

"If  there  is  anything  to  forgive,  there  is  t-too 
much." 

He  also  arose  mechanically,  and  they  left  the  pew 
and  moved  down  the  aisle.  At  the  door,  she  said, 
"  We  did  not  come  to  speak  of  this.  Do  you  still 
mean  to  let  that  man  use  you  ?  " 

"  I  mean  to  please  myself,"  returned  he,  doggedly. 
"  I  will  live  to  be  something  better  or  worse  than  a 
woman's  fool." 

Nell  stood  at  the  top  of  the  steps  while  he  de 
scended  to  the  pavement  and  turned  down  the 
avenue.  When  he  was  out  of  sight  she  returned  to 
the  cathedral,  and  sat  again  in  the  same  pew  which 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  255 

they  had  just  left.  Whether  she  prayed  or  medi 
tated,  or  merely  rested  after  the  nervous  strain  of 
such  an  encounter,  I  know  not ;  but  when  she  again 
went  forth,  the  words  on  her  lips  were,  "  Warren, 
my  darling ! " 


256  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A    CORNER    IN   PRESIDENTS. 

EVERYTHING  had  gone  smoothly  with  the  con 
spirators.  The  new  political  party  had  been  started 
with  great  enthusiasm,  and  their  candidate,  though 
not  a  man  widely  known,  was  well  spoken  of  by 
those  who  professed  to  know  him  ;  and  his  previous 
obscurity  was  the  worst  charge  that  his  opponents 
could  find  to  bring  against  him.  He  was  a  brawny 
six-footer  from  the  West,  with  an  atmosphere  about 
him  of  freedom,  simplicity,  and  rugged  worth.  He 
was  a  man  of  the  people,  —  an  American  of  Ameri 
cans.  The  other  two  candidates,  whatever  their 
practical  advantages,  had  not  the  charm  of  novelty; 
they  had  been  before  the  public  for  many  years. 
One  of  them,  it  was  conceded,  had  not  much 
chance ;  but  it  was  hoped  that  when  the  campaign 
had  proceeded  far  enough  to  show  the  drift  of 
popular  opinion  the  partisans  of  the  weaker  man 
would  combine  with  the  stronger  party,  in  order,  at 
all  events,  to  whip  the  "  outsider ; "  of  course,  it 
was  also  possible  that  the  outsider,  like  the  fox  in 


A    CORNER   IN  PRESIDENTS.  257 

the  fable,  might  capture  the  game  for  which  the  two 
others  were  contending.  But  this  was  at  best  but  a 
possibility ;  and  Drayton  fully  understood  the  im 
portance  of  admitting  no  uncertainties  in  this  mat 
ter  ;  it  must  be  heads  I  win,  tails  you  lose  —  now  or 
never.  He  had  framed  his  plans  accordingly,  as  he 
had  already  explained  to  Warren. 

"  This  candidate  of  ours  seems  a  very  honest 
fellow,"  the  latter  had  remarked.  "  If  you  have 
designs  against  his  integrity,  I  guess  you've  mis 
taken  your  man.  He  would  make  a  good  enough 
president,  I  dare  say,  but  not  a  very  pliable  puppet." 

"  I  never  corrupt  any  man,"  Drayton  had  replied, 
"only  when  a  man  is  already  rotten,  I  apply  his  rot 
tenness  to  my  purposes,  as  a  farmer  uses  manure. 
You  are  right  as  to  our  candidate  :  he  is  honest,  so 
far  as  I  know,  —  I  should  not  have  ventured  to  risk 
a  thief  in  such  a  campaign  as  this,  —  but  he  is 
ignorant  and  obstinate,  and  can  therefore  be  easily 
led  by  the  nose.  He  has  vanity  too.  There  will 
be  no  difficulty  about  him  at  all." 

"Well,  if  we  e-lect  him." 

"  Nothing  short  of  his  death  can  prevent  that." 

"  That  is  a  hard  saying,"  observed  Warren,  shak 
ing  his  head. 

"  It  is  perfectly  simple,"  Drayton  replied,  smiling. 


258  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"The  only  reason  you  and  everybody  else  think 
otherwise  is  because  you  are  looking  in  the  wrong 
direction,  —  at  him,  instead  of  at  the  true  deus  ex 
machina." 

"  And  who  may  he  be  ?  " 

"  Our  most  dangerous  antagonist,  of  course ;  the 
man  who  is  to  unite  both  the  regular  parties.  He 
has  ten  times  the  strength  of  our  man  to-day  and 
double  that  of  his  special  opponent.  Now,  what 
will  happen  is  this  :  at  the  crucial  moment  of  the 
campaign,  — and  that  is  not  far  off,  — this  redoubt 
able  champion  will  be  smitten  with  a  mortal  illness. 
All  men  are  mortal ;  but  I  can  even  tell  you  the 
precise  disease  from  which  he  will  suffer:  malig 
nant  cancer  in  the  region  of  the  heart.  He  will  be 
taken  to  Florida  or  to  New  Mexico,  —  some  place 
where  the  climate  is  good  and  the  newspapers  few, 
—  and  from  there  will  come  news  that  he  is  not 
expected  to  survive  a  week;  that  his  recovery  is 
impossible.  The  fate  of  a  republic  cannot  be  de 
pendent  on  the  progress  of  a  cancer,  and  the  voters 
who  had  ratted  to  the  moribund  candidate,  being 
unable  to  return  to  their  first  allegiance  at  that  late 
hour,  will  have  no  choice  left  but  to  unite  wirh  his 
supporters  to  make  the  election  of  our  Western 
pioneer  unanimous.  Then  when  all  is  settled,  and 


A    CORNER  IN  PRESIDENTS.  259 

he  of  the  cancer  dead  and  buried  so  far  as  the  pub 
lic  recollection  goes,  he  will  reappear  very  quietly  as 
president  of  a  railway  system,  bringing  him  in  from 
seventy-five  to  a  hundred  thousand  a  year.  That  is 
about  what  his  illness  will  cost  us,  and  it  is  worth 
every  cent  of  the  money." 

It  was  arranged  that  Warren's  marriage  should 
take  place  a  day  or  two  before  the  candidate  in 
question  was  smitten  down  with  his  political  cancer. 
During  the  uproar,  consternation,  and  confusion 
consequent  upon  this  event  there  would  be  oppor 
tunity  for  a  quiet  month  in  some  Southern  retreat 
for  the  bride  and  bridegroom.  Serious  work  would 
not  begin  again  for  Warren  until  the  ensuing  Feb 
ruary  or  thereabouts ;  but  it  might  be  a  long  while 
before  he  got  another  undisturbed  vacation. 

Meanwhile  it  was  the  young  man's  business  to 
make  himself  agreeable  to  his  betrothed  ;  and  he  did 
his  best,  though  a  keen  observer  might  have  fancied 
that  he  never  succeeded  so  well  as  when  he  let  her 
alone.  Lizzie  seemed  very  shy,  much  more  so  than 
what  little  Warren  knew  of  her  previously  would 
have  led  him  to  expect.  It  was  as  if  all  the  fastidi 
ous  proprieties  so  carefully  instilled  into  her  mind 
by  her  French  training,  and  so  heedlessly  neglected 


260  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

since,  had  suddenly  returned  upon  her  in  full  force. 
She  would  rather  Warren  kissed  her  hand  than  her 
cheek  ;  and  she  acquiesced  when  he  did  not  kiss  her 
at  all.  As  this  arrangement  was  not  so  intolerable 
to  the  lover  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  the  two  young 
people  soon  attained  a  decorum*  of  demeanor  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  couple  of  Shakers.  At 
the  same  time  it  should  be  said  that  Warren,  who 
believed  that  Lizzie  really  cared  for  him,  interpreted 
her  conduct  in  a  way  most  creditable  to  her  delicacy 
and  purity  of  soul,  and  respected  and  esteemed  her 
more  than  he  had  ever  done  before.  He  was  an 
honest  man  at  heart,  and  he  was  resolved  she  should 
never  have  cause  to  complain  of  neglect  or  unfaith 
fulness  on  his  part ;  but  he  was  as  unhappy  as  he 
knew  how  to  be,  and  sometimes  wondered  whether 
Lizzie  were  aware  of  it.  He  could  not  know  that 
she  cherished  a  secret  misery  that  put  his  to  shame. 
They  looked  at  and  conversed  with  each  other,  but 
they  saw  and  thought  of  quite  other  piersons  and 
things.  The  only  one  who  enjoyed  the  situation 
was  Drayton ;  and  he  was  the  blindest  of  the 
three.  Tom  Peekskill,  indeed,  wore  a  look  of 
treacherous  satisfaction  on  his  face ;  but  he  could 
scarcely  be  termed  happy,  —  unless  an  assassin  can 
be  said  to  be  so  when  he  hears  the  footsteps  of  his 


A   CORNER  IN  PRESIDENTS.  261 

unsuspecting  victim  approaching  nearer  and  more 
near. 

The  wedding  was  now  but  three  days  off;  but  it 
was  to  be  in  the  last  degree  quiet  and  private. 
Dray  ton  desired  this,  because  he  was  unwilling  just 
at  this  juncture  to  have  the  public  attention  in  any 
way  drawn  to  him  ;  and  Lizzie  had  her  own  reasons 
for  not  opposing  the  arrangement ;  while,  as  to 
Warren,  his  chief  study  was  to  divert  his  mind 
from  dwelling  on  the  subject  at  all.  They  were  to 
be  married,  therefore,  in  morning  dress ,  at  Dray  ton's 
house,  and  were  to  take  the  afternoon  train  south 
ward  as  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  over.  Lizzie's 
trousseau  had  been  got  ready,  and  was  being  packed, 
under  the  superintendence  of  her  maid.  On  this 
afternoon  her  father,  who  had  ordered  her  a 
splendid  set  of  diamonds,  was  just  on  the  point  of 
paying  a  visit  to  the  jeweller's  to  give  some  direc 
tions  about  the  setting,  when  there  was  a  ring  at 
the  door,  and  a  young  lady  was  admitted,  who 
said :  — 

"  Does  Mr.  Drayton  live  here  ?  " 

She  was  handsome,  and  becomingly  dressed,  and 
her  voice  was  melodious.  Drayton  who  was  in  the 
hall  putting  on  his  overcoat,  came  forward,  and 
said  :  — 


262  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"I  am  Mr.  Drayton.  To  whom  have  I  the 
honor  —  ?" 

"  My  name  is  Anthony,"  replied  the  young  lady. 
"I  knew  Mr.  Warren  Bell  when  we  were  both 
children.  I  have  something  important  to  say  to 
you." 

"I  am  happy  to  meet  any  friend  of  Warren  Bell," 
said  Drayton,  politely.  "Will  you  come  into  the 
drawing-room  ?  Mr.  Bell  is  not  in ;  he  will  be 
sorry  to  have  missed  your  call." 

"I  did  not  come  to  see  him.  What  I  have  to 
say  is  to  you  only." 

Drayton  looked  sharply  at  her,  wondering  what 
she  could  be  and  what  she  wanted.  The  idea 
entered  his  mind  that  she  might  have  some  claim 
upon  Warren,  —  something  calculated  to  interfere 
with  his  matrimonial  projects.  She  was  handsome 
enough  to  be  a  formidable  rival  even  to  Lizzie ; 
and  yet  she  was  a  lady  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
word.  He  was  puzzled. 

"  How  can  I  serve  you? "  he  asked. 

"I  have  come  to  you  alone,  Mr.  Drayton,"  said 
Nell,  "  and  without  the  knowledge  of  any  one,  to 
give  you  warning  of  a  danger." 

"  A  danger  ?  ah  !  that  is  news  !  "  muttered  Dray 
ton,  folding  his  arms  and  regarding  her  keenly  with 


A   CORNER  IN  PRESIDENTS.  263 

his  bright  black  eyes.  "  Such  an  act  of  disinter 
ested  friendship  from  an  entire  stranger  is  more 
than  I  had  a  right  to  expect." 

"  I  have  no  friendship  for  you,"  returned  Nell. 
"  I  come  because  the  danger  to  Warren  Bell  is  even 
greater  than  to  you,  and  I  wish  to  save  him." 

"  Well,  that  is  certainly  explicit  so  far.  The 
next  question  is,  what  is  the  nature  of  the  danger?" 

"  You  have  enemies,  and  they  have  found  out 
your  plans.  If  you  go  on  they  will  ruin  you." 

"I  have  enemies,  then?  I  had  supposed  that  a 
quiet  man  like  myself  might  hope  to  escape  enmity. 
Whom  have  I  offended?  " 

"  Every  one  who  loves  America,  and  many  who 
love  only  themselves,"  replied  Nell,  her  eyes  begin 
ning  to  sparkle. 

"My  dear  young  lady,"  said  Drayton,  smiling, 
but  now  fully  on  his  guard,  "you  have  been  misin 
formed.  I  am  a  private  man  —  wholly  detached 
from  politics.  I  flatter  myself  that  I  too  love 
America,  but  I  leave  the  management  of  her  affairs 
to  other  hands.  You  have  either  mistaken  me  for 
some  one  else,  or  you  have  been  deceived." 

"You  wrote  this,"  she  returned,  producing  the 
famous  pamphlet  from  her  muff;  "and  you  intend 
to  do  such  things  as  it  suggests." 


264  LOVE— OB  A  NAME. 

"It  is  one  thing  to  assert  that,  and  quite  another 
to  prove  it,"  said  Drayton,  still  smiling. 

"  The  proof  will  be  given  in  a  few  days  without 
my  help  if  you  deny  it  now." 

''  Let  us  come  to  the  point,  Miss  —  or  Mrs.  — 
Anthony,"  said  Draytcwi,  changing  his  tone  and  sit 
ting  erect  in  his  chair.  "  What  do  you  want  ?  Has 
Warren  Bell  wronged  you  in  any  way?  Are  you 
the  emissary  of  any  third  party?  Do  you  require 
money?  or  what?  Pardon  my  bluntness,  but  the 
shortest  way  is  best." 

"  I  want  you  to  become  what  you  say  you  are  — 
a  private  man,  with  no  interest  in  the  management 
of  this  country.  You  must  take  back  the  bribe  you 
offered  to  that  man  to  pretend  illness  and  give  up  his 
candidacy.  You  must  let  the  people  govern  them 
selves,  and  not  steal  their  liberties  away  from  them." 

Drayton  had  some  great  qualities  and  among  them 
was  the  ability  to  recognize  defeat.  He  saw  at 
once  that  this  strange  young  lady  knew  what  she 
was  talking  about  and  that  further  denial  would  be 
useless.  The  shock  of  learning  that  his  secrets 
were  betrayed  was  terrible  to  him,  but  he  continued 
to  suppress  all  outward  signs  of  it.  His  alert  and 
elastic  mind  was  at  once  busy  in  taking  the  measure 
of  the  new  situation  and  devising  means  to  meet  it. 


A    CORNER   IN  PRESIDENTS.  265 

"  You  have  said  enough  to  command  my  confi 
dence,"  he  began,  in  an  easy  tone.  "  Without 
making  any  definite  admissions  I  may  say  that  I 
should  be  sorry  to  know  that  what  you  have  just 
said  was  common  property.  Now,  can  you  tell  me 
whether — supposing,  for  a  moment,  that  you  re 
linquish  all  idea  of  assuming  a  hostile  attitude 
towards  us  yourself —  there  are  any  other  persons 
who  would  so  act,  independently  of  you?" 

"That  is  the  reason  of  my  being  here,"  Nell 
replied.  "If  I  were  to  die  to-night  your  plans 
would  be  crushed  just  the  same.  But  if  you  go  in 
time  to  those  who  mean  to  attack  you  and  show 
them  that  you  will  give  all  this  up  voluntarily  it 
would  save  you  from  open  exposure  and  ruin.  But 
it  is  not  for  your  sake,"  she  added,  lifting  her  head, 
while  her  cheeks  flushed.  "I  would  not  speak  a 
word  to  save  you  from  punishment,  for  you  have 
taken  advantage  of  the  generosity  and  nobility  of  an 
honest  man  to  persuade  him  to  act  the  part  of  a 
traitor  ! " 

Drayton  was  feeling  too  sick  at  heart  to  attempt 
to  defend  himself;  he  was  rather  anxious  to  concil 
iate  his  accuser,  if  he  might.  This  was  not  a 
time  to  multiply  enemies.  It  was  illustrative  of 
one  of  the  differences  between  his  mind  and  War- 


2G6  LOVE—  OR  A   NAME. 

ren's,  that  whereas  Warren,  in  his  preoccupation 
with  personal  matters,  had  utterly  failed  to  realize 
the  fact  that  Nell's  appeal  to  him  to  forbear  was  in 
truth  a  warning  to  repent  in  season,  instead  of 
waiting  until  compulsion  was  applied  from  without, 
—  and  had  consequently  neglected  even  to  mention 
the  danger  to  Dray  ton,  — the  latter  had  i^tantly 
grasped  the  situation  in  all  its  bearings,  and  was 
even  now  estimating  the  chances  for  and  against  the 
only  possible  means  for  parrying  the  attack. 

"There  is  one  thing  I  should  like  to  have  you 
believe,"  he  said,  grasping  his  long  beard  in  his 
hand,  and  gazing  steadfastly  at  her,  "  and  that  is, 
that  I  fully  share  whatever  esteem  and  regard  you 
may  entertain  for  Warren  Bell.  His  abilities  and 
his  qualities  are  to  me  as  admirable  and  lovable  as 
those  of  any  man  I  ever  knew.  For  many  years 
past  I  have  been  planning  what  you  would  perhaps 
call  treason,  but  which  seemed  to  me  —  and  still 
seems  —  the  only  possible  means  of  preserving  the 
union  and  prosperity  of  the  country  we  both  love. 
But  my  designs,  in  all  human  probability,  would 
never  have  attained  practical  shape  had  it  not 
been  for  Warren.  He  possessed  all  that  I 
lacked  in  the  way  of  active  and  personal  force. 
I  saw  in  him  —  young  as  he  is  —  a  man  capable  of 


A    CORNER  IN  PRESIDENTS.  267 

standing  at  the  head  of  the  greatest  nation  in  the 
world,  and  of  so  acting  as  to  render  his  name 
immortal,  along  with  those  of  Washington  and 
Lincoln.  He  was  to  be  the  heir  of  all  my  aspira 
tions  ;  and  I  wish  I  could  impart  to  you  my  own 
vision  of  the  splendor  of  his  career.  My  ambition 
was  an  abstract  desire  to  exterminate,  root  and 
branch,  the  abuses  and  disasters  which  are  insep 
arable  (in  this  age  of  the  world  at  least)  from  our 
present  form  of  government.  But  I  was  willing 
and  glad  to  see  this  result  realized  by  him  rather 
than  by  myself,  —  only  to  feel  that  I  had  been 
instrumental  in  providing  him  with  the  opportunity 
to  become  what  nature  had  already  qualified  him  to 
be.  I  don't  know,  of  course,  who  has  betrayed  me  ; 
but  I  wish  I  could  hope  to  see  you  share  my  con 
viction  that  whoever  has  done  so  has  inflicted  a  vital 
injury  both  on  the  country  and  on  Warren  Bell." 

"I  cannot  help  you,"  replied  Nell,  in  a  gentle 
tone,  —  for  the  eloquent  fascination  of  Dray  ton's 
voice  and  manner  had  not  failed  to  move  her  some 
what,  —  "  and  I  never  meant  to  take  any  part  with 
your  enemies.  It  can  make  no  difference  to  you 
whether  or  not  I  think  as  you  do." 

"I  have  seen  enough  of  you  to  feel  otherwise,"  lie 
answered  with  a  certain  grand  courtesv.  "  There  is 


268  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

one  thing  for  which  I  care  more  than  for  success, 
and  that  is  the  appreciation  of  pure  and  honorable 
minds." 

"  I  don't  know ;  you  may  have  intended  better 
than  I  thought,"  said  she,  in  a  low  voice. 

"And  now,"  resumed  Drayton,  "it  only  remains 
to  ask  you  to  whom  I  am  to  go  to  make  my  sur 
render —  if  it  must  be  so." 

"  I  believe  Judge  Muhlbach  is  the  most  active 
against  you,"  returned  Nell.  "  Do  you  know 
him?" 

Dray  ton's  eyes  kindled  for  a  moment,  and  he 
pressed  his  lips  together.  "I  have  had  some  ac 
quaintance  with  him,"  he  said,  briefly.  N I  will 
see  him  to-morrow." 

He  had  gained  what  he  wanted,  — the  assurance 
that  Nell  personally  would  not  act  against  him,  and 
the  information  of  who  was  his  real  antagonist. 
How  Muhlbach  had  penetrated  his  secret  he  could 
not  conjecture ;  but  his  opinion  of  the  venality  of 
the  man  gave  him  hope  that  he  would  be  able  to 
effect  some  compromise  with  him.  He  could  offer 
the  Judge  temptations  which  he  must  be  more  than 
human  and  judicial  to  resist.  As  to  "  surrender 
ing,"  he  hoped  the  time  for  that  was  yet  far  distant. 
At  all  events,  he  would  not  be  beaten  without  a 


A    CORNER  IN  PRESIDENTS.  269 

desperate  and  persistent  struggle.  Meanwhile,  it 
was  not  without  significance  to  him  that,  at  parting, 
his  austere  young  visitor  gave  him  her  hand. 

Nell  left  the  house  and  walked  slowly  down  the 
street,  deep  in  meditation.  The  interview  had 
shaken  her  faith  in  her  own  point  of  view  a  little ; 
she  did  not  like  Dray  ton,  but  it  seemed  to  her  im 
possible  that  a  man  of  such  speech  and  presence 
should  be  a  villain.  How  different  he  was  from 
Judge  Muhlbach  !  —  and  it  was  Muhlbach  who  was 
his  enemy.  Was  there  no  meaning  in  that? 
While  she  was  revolving  these  things  she  heard  a 
hasty  step  behind  her,  and  a  woman's  voice  ad 
dressed  her  by  name.  She  turned,  and  beheld  a 
very  pale  and  pretty  young  lady,  clad  in  a  long  seal 
skin  cloak  and  a  hat,  who  said,  breathlessly,  "  You 
are  Miss  Anthony,  aren't  you?  " 

"Yes." 

"I  am  Lizzie  Drayton,  — Mr.  Drayton's  daugh 
ter.  I  have  followed  you  ;  I  could  not  speak  to  you 
in  the  house.  I  wan  ted  to  tell  you  —  ask  you  some 
thing.  I  heard  something  of  what  you  and  father 
were  saying.  You  —  are  a  friend  of  Warren  Bell  ?  " 

"Yes;  what  of  him?" 

"  You  know  he  is  to  be  married  —  in  a  few  days  ?  " 

"Yes." 


270  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"Well,  it  was  to  me, — I  was  to  be  his  wife. 
But  I  don't  want  to  marry  him  ;  I  can't  marry  him  I 
And  he  does  not  care  for  me,  either.  It  is  father's 
idea  ;  but  it  mustn't  be  ;  it  is  impossible  !  " 

"Why  don't  you  tell  him  and  your  father  so, 
then?"  demanded  Nell,  astonished  and  pained. 
"Why  do  you  come  to  me?" 

"Oh,  I  couldn't  tell  him!  I  couldn't  explain. 
Father  would  kill  me  almost !  But  I  thought,  since 
he  didn't  love  me,  he  must  love  some  one  else  ;  and 
when  I  saw  you,  and  heard  you  speak,  I  thought  it 
must  be  you  that  he  loved.  Forgive  me.  I  know 
I've  no  right  to  speak  so  to  you  ;  but  if  you  knew 
how  miserable  I  am  !  " 

"  Warren  Bell  will  be  true  to  whatever  woman  he 
marries,"  said  Nell,  steadily,  but  with  a  deep  blush. 
"  His  wife  need  not  fear  any  one  else,  certainly  not 
me." 

"  Oh,  now  I  have  made  you  angry ! "  moaned 
Lizzie,  pressing  her  little  ungloved  hands  together 
nervously.  "  If  I  could  only  explain  to  you  how  it 
is  !  But  you  do  love  him,  and  he  loves  you  ;  I  know 
it !  Will  you  do  something  —  that  would  make  you 
and  him  happy,  and  save  me?"  In  the  eagerness 
of  the  appeal  she  put  her  hands  on  Nell's  arms,  and 
gazed  eagerly  in  her  face. 


A    CORNER  IN  PRESIDENTS.  271 

"  I  will  do  anything  I  can  ;  what  is  it?"  said  Nell, 
moved  to  a  compassion  that  overcame  her  perplexity 
and  suspicion. 

Lizzie    bent   forward  and  whispered  in  her  ear, 
"  Run  away  with  him  !    Be  married  to  him  yourself, 
to-morrow  !  Think  how  happy  you  will  be  !    It  will 
save  us  all !     Oh,  say  yes  !  " 
Nell  shuddered  and  drew  back. 
"  If   you   had   known    me    you  would   not    have 
dared  to  speak  so  to  me,"  she  said,  in  a  tremulous 
voice.      "  If  you  were  good,  you  would  not  have 
thought  of  it." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  good  ;  I  know  that !  "  returned 
Lizzie,  suddenly  falling  into  an  apathetic,  half- 
cynical  tone.  "  I  only  wanted,  if  possible,  not  to  be 
worse,  and  I  thought  you  might  help  me.  Well,  I 
beg  your  pardon.  Good-by."  And  she  turned 
abruptly  and  was  gone  before  Nell  had  time  to 
speak  again.  The  short  afternoon  was  already  over, 
and  in  a  few  moments  Lizzie  was  out  of  sight  in  the 
gathering  dusk. 


272  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SUSAN'S    IMMORALITY. 

WHEN  Nell  Anthony  reached  home  she  found 
Susan  full  of  talk  about  the  Home,  which  had  safely 
passed  through  the  doubts  and  peril  of  its  pre-natal 
gtate,  —  Uncle  Joseph  having  gracefully  acceded  to 
Susan's  proposal  regarding  payment,  —  and  was 
now  fully  prepared  for  occupation.  Indeed,  it  had 
been  advertised  in  the  papers  for  several  days  past, 
and  paragraphs  descriptive  and  laudatory  had  ap 
peared  in  the  "  Talk  of  the  Day  "  columns.  The 
names  of  the  promoters  were  not  mentioned,  but  it 
was  understood  to  be  owned  and  personally  admin 
istered  by  "ladies  of  the  highest  refinement  and 
social  position."  These  squibs  were  inserted  under 
the  influence  of  the  amiable  Judge,  who  wished  thus 
to  indicate  that  he  bore  no  ill-will  to  the  enterprise 
on  account  of  the  snubbing  he  had  sustained  in  con 
nection  with  it.  Moreover,  the  Judge  was  a  tena 
cious  man,  and  would  not  desist  from  a  pursuit  on 
account  of  a  few  stumbles  at  first  starting  out. 

Susan  had  all  her  arrangements  made  to  start  for 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  273 

the  Home  after  dinner,  and  spend  the  night  there, 
and  had  ordered  the  carriage  to  be  in  waiting  at  eight 
o'clock.  She  purred  over  the  affair  like  a  comfort 
able  cat  over  a  saucer  of  cream.  But  Nell  did  not 
respond  with  her  usual  cordiality,  and  her  appear 
ance  was  so  distraught  that  Susan  soon  perceived  it. 

"I'm  sure  you  must  have  a  headache,"  she  sug 
gested. 

Nell,  who  was  reclining  on  a  sofa,  with  her  check 
on  her  hand,  slowly  turned  her  eyes  on  her  friend, 
and  by  and  by  she  said :  — 

"  Susie,  I  want  to  ask  your  advice." 

"  My  dear,  you  must  be  ill ! "  cried  Susan, 
jumping  up  in  real  alarm  ;  for  so  extraordinary  a 
proposition  could  indicate  nothing  less  than  incipient 
delirium. 

"  No ;  but  I  am  tired  of  wondering  what  I  had 
better  do,  and  I  want  you  to  decide.  Suppose  you 
had  a  dear  friend  who  was  wishing  to  do  something 
that  you  thought  was  unwise,  and  perhaps  wrong, 
but  at  any  rate  he  had  set  his  heart  on  it,  and  it 
was  a  question  that  involved  his  whole  life  and 
career.  And  suppose  another  man  had  determined 
to  prevent  him  from  doing  this  thing,  because  he 
was  his  enemy.  Do  you  understand  so  far?" 

"  So  you  and  this  other  man  would  both  want  to 


274  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

prevent  him,  only  you  out  of  love,  and  he  out  of 
enmity.     Yes  ;  well,  dear  !  " 

"  But  then,"  continued  Nell,  sitting  up  on  the 
sofa,  and  brushing  back  a  strand  of  hair  that  had 
fallen  across  her  face,  "you  saw  how  much  your 
friend  desired  this  thing,  so  that  all  the  happi 
ness  he  could  expect  to  have  —  and  he  was  not 
very  happy  —  depended  on  it,  and  you  reflected 
that  perhaps  you  were  mistaken  in  thinking  it 
unwise  and  wrong,  —  for  how  could  you  be  certain 
that  you  knew  better  than  he  ? —  might  you  not  bring 
yourself  to  believe  at  last  that  it  would  be  better  to 
let  him  have  his  way,  and  leave  the  rest  to  Provi 
dence  ?  " 

"  Well,  perhaps  I  might.  But  then,  my  dear," 
Susan  added,  after  a  few  moments'  cogitation, 
"  there  is  still  his  enemy,  you  know.  He  wouldn't 
let  your  friend  have  his  way,  no  matter  what  you 
did." 

"Yes;  that  is  what  I  am  coming  to,"  Nell  re 
plied.  "  Now,  this  enemy  knew  you,  and  had  once 
asked  you  to  do  him  a  great  favor.  You  had  re 
fused  it  at  the  time,  but  now  you  feel  sure  that  if 
you  were  to  offer  to  do  him  that  favor  on  condition 
that  he  let  your  friend  alone  he  would  consent. 
Would  you  grant  him  that  favor?" 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  275 

"I  don't  know.  I  suppose  it  would  depend  on 
what  sort  of  a  favor  it  was,"  returned  Susan,  her 
interest  fully  aroused.  "  Would  it  be  anything  very 
difficult?" 

"  Yes ;  nothing  could  seem  more  difficult,"  said 
Nell,  with  a  tremor  in  her  voice. 

"  Then  I  wouldn't  do  it,  —  unless  I  loved  my 
friend  very  much  indeed." 

"Yes,  very  much, — better  than  anything  in  the 
world  !  " 

"O  Nell!  don't  ask  me.  You  frighten  me.  Tell 
me  who  the  friend  is." 

«  Warren  Bell." 

"O  Nell!  Why,  of  course, — I  might  have 
known.  And  it  is  about  that  political  affair  to  be 
sure.  But,  Nell,  who  is  the  enemy?  O  my  dear  ! 
surely  you  don't  mean  ?  "  — 

"  I  mean  Judge  Muhlbach." 

Susan  jumped  up.     "  And  what  was  the  favor?  " 

"  To  be  married  to  him." 

Susan  gave  a  gasp  and  sank  back  in  her  chair. 

But  presently  she  sat  up  again.  "Nell,  it  is 
wicked!"  she  exclaimed,  violently.  "You  will  do 
no  such  horrid  thing !  My  darling,  go  and  give 
yourself  to  one  man  because,  actually  because,  you 
love  another  !  I  declare  I'd  take  a  gun  and  shoot 


276  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

him  first !  "  She  stopped  to  wipe  the  tears  from  her 
face,  and  then  added,  "  Why  don't  you  marry 
Warren  Bell?  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you 
couldn't  make  him  happier  than  all  the  politics  and 
everything  else  in  the  world  ?  " 

"There  is  a  reason  why  that  is  impossible." 
"What  reason,  I  should  like  to  know?" 
"  Well,  never  mind  about  that,  Susie.  There 
are  some  strange  things  about  it  that  —  I  hardly 
know  what  to  think  of  myself;  but  I  believe  it 
would  be  easier  for  him,  in  other  ways,  if  he  knew 
I  was  married.  And  what  would  be  the  use  of  my 
being  alive  if  I  didn't  serve  the  people  I  love  ?  I 
needn't  have  asked  your  advice  after  all.  I'll  do  it ! 
I'll  go  to  Judge  Muhlbach  now  and  tell  him  so." 
And  she  rose  to  her  feet. 

At  this  crisis  Susan  developed  faculties  and  re 
sources  quite  beyond  the  ordinary  scope  of  her 
nature.  As  cripples  have  been  known  to  walk,  and 
the  dumb  to  speak,  under  supreme  pressure  of  cir 
cumstances,  so  did  this  guileless  woman  suddenly, 
become  a.  diplomatist  and  a  double-dealer.  She  was1 
convinced  that  Nell  was  temporarily  beside  herself, 
and  she  felt  the  absolute  necessity  of  restraining  her 
until  she  recovered  her  reason.  This  could  not  be 
done  by  force ;  it  must  be  managed  by  subterfuge. 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  277 

And,  without  troubling  herself  about  her  own  soul, 
or  about  anything  except  her  love  for  her  friend, 
Susan  lied  boldly  and  freely  and  with  excellent 
judgment. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  right,  dear,"  she  said,  "  you 
know  you  always  are  ;  and  I  am  always  a  fool  to 
doubt  it.  It  does  seem  hard  that  you  should  have 
to  sacrifice  yourself;  but,  of  course,  one  has  to 
choose  the  lesser  of  two  evils.  And  I  do  think 
there  are  worse  men  in  the  world  than  Uncle 
Joseph  ;  and  I'm  sure  he'll  do  everything  possible  to 
make  you  comfortable.  But,  Nell,  do  you  know, 
now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  I  wouldn't  go  to  see  him 
to-night,  if  I  were  you.  This  isn't  like  the  country, 
you  know.  New  York  people  are  very  particular 
about  etiquette  in  such  things,  and  they  might  think 
it  queer  if  it  were  known  that  you  went  to  see  him 
about  such  a  thing  so  late  in  the  evening.  But  I'll 
tell  you  how  we  might  manage.  You  take  the  car 
riage  at  eight  o'clock  and  go  up  to  the  Home,  and 
I'll  run  around  to  Uncle  Joseph's  and  tell  him  that 
you  want  to  see  him  at  once  on  important  busi 
ness.  Very  likely  he'll  come  right  along  with  me  ; 
but  if  he  should  be  engaged,  at  any  rate  he'll 
come  to-morrow.  That  will  be  much  more  con 
ventional  and  proper  than  your  going  after  him, 


278  LOVE-  OR  A   NAME. 

and  it  will   make  it  easier  for  you,  don't  you  think 
so?" 

"Yes  ;  perhaps  it  would,"  returned  Nell,  wearily. 
"I  didn't  think  of  that.  It  would  be  very  kind  of 
you,  Susie.  But  make  him  understand  that  he 
must  come  ;  and  don't  let  him  be  later  than  to 
morrow  morning,  or  Mr.  Drayton  will  have  seen 
him,  and  it  will  be  no  use." 

"Oh,  you  may  trust  me  for  that!"  exclaimed 
Susan,  with  her  honest  smile,  which  covered  an 
abyss  of  falsehood.  "  And,  meanwhile,  dear,  let's 
have  our  dinner,  and  talk  about  something  else. 
You  must  have  all  your  wits  about  you  when  you 
meet  him,  you  know." 

And  thereupon  this  Machiavelli  in  petticoats 
began  to  be  sprightly,  anecdotical,  and  discursive  to 
a  degree  which  astonished  herself  in  the  retrospect, 
and  beguiled  Nell  into  an  unusual  amount  of  smiles 
and  idle  talk.  Thus  they  got  through  with  their 
dinner  very  well ;  and  then  Susan,  with  a  thankful 
heart,  saw  Nell  safely  into  the  carriage,  and  herself 
started  for  her  Uncle  Joseph's,  to  tell  him  that  if  he 
did  not  make  his  attack  upon  Drayton  that  very  night 
he  would  be  too  late,  the  country  would  be  lost,  and 
Uncle  Joseph  himself  consigned  forever  to  disgrace 
and  obscurity.  For  such  was  the  manner  in  which 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  279 

Susan  proposed  to  keep  her  promise  to  her  dearest 
friend. 

She  went  in  a  fervor  of  enthusiasm,  and  felt 
more  virtuous  than  she  ever  had  done  when  on  an 
errand  which  orthodox  morality  would  have  ap 
proved.  She  rung  at  the  door,  and  was  informed 
by  the  servant  (who  knew  her)  that  a  gentlemen 
had  just  called  to  see  the  Judge,  but  would  prob 
ably  not  be  long.  "That's  all  right,  Charles," 
Susan  replied.  "I  don't  mind  waiting.  What 
room  are  they  in  ?  " 

"The  dining-room,  Mrs.   Wayne." 

"Oh  !  then  I'll  just  go  up  to  the  sitting-room,  so 
that  when  they  have  done  their  business  I  shall 
know  it.  Never  mind  announcing  me ;  I'll  take 
care  of  myself."  And  she  went  upstairs. 

The  dining-room  and  the  sitting-room  adjoined 
each  other,  and  both  could  be  entered  separately 
from  the  upper  hall.  When  Susan  entered  the 
latter  apartment  she  found  the  gas  turned  low. 
The  door  communicating  with  the  dining-room  was 
almost  closed,  but  not  quite.  A  narrow,  vertical  line 
of  light  showed  through  the  crevice,  and  the  voices 
of  the  two  men  on  the  other  side  could  be  plainly 
heard.  Susan  was  debating  whether  to  close  the 
door  completely  or  to  go  somewhere  else  when  a 


280  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

*':. 

word  from  the  Judge  determined  her  to  do 
neither. 

"  It's  very  obliging  of  you,  Mr.  Dray  ton,"  he 
was  saying,  "but  the  truth  is,  the  matter  is  not 
under  my  control,  and  the  other  parties  must  speak 
for  themselves." 

"  It  is  under  your  control  if  you  choose  to  make 
it  so,"  another  voice  replied  (that  of  Drayton). 
"I  am  in  a  mood  to  be  accommodating.  Say  a 
million  down,  and  your  choice  of  offices  for  yourself 
and  your  friends  within  a  year.  There's  no  limit 
to  what  you  might  do.  And,  finally,  this  affair 
aside,  I  would  much  rather  have  you  with  us  than 
not." 

"Well,  that's  just  my  luck,"  said  Muhlbach. 
:t  Your  offer  comes  at  the  wrong  time.  If  you  had 
only  thought  of  making  it,  say  about  the  time  of 
your  resignation  from  the  Compensation  Fund,  we 
could  have  hit  it  off  then  to  a  dot." 

"  Come,  Judge,  let  bygones  be  bygones." 

"  Bless  you,  I  bear  no  grudge.  I  made  a  shrewd 
guess  at  the  time  as  to  who  sent  that  square-headed 
young  fellow  after  me.  But  you  were  too  sharp  ;  I 
couldn't  fix  it  on  you.  I  never  could  see  to  the 
bottom  of  you,  anyway,  Drayton.  What  possessed 
you  to  back  that  way  against  us,  and  to  pick  up 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  281 

with  a  fellow  under  thirty,  who  didn't  know  how 
to  entertain  an  offer  of  —  ah  —  accommodation 
politely  ?  " 

"He  was  the  man  I  needed,  that's  all.  I  was 
going  in  for  something  more  than  rigging  a  corner, 
you  understand.  When  you  are  going  to  tackle  the 
American  people,  and  to  hold  them  in  hand,  you 
want  a  man  as  bold  as  a  lion  and  as  straight  as  a 
die,  and  with  his  life  before  instead  of  behind  him. 
Damaged  goods,  or  goods  that  can  be  damaged, 
won't  do.  Warren  Bells  don't  grow  on  every  bush." 

"He's  a  cheeky  fellow,  and  plucky,  and  brainy, 
too,  I  allow ;  but  I  guess  the  proper  tests  would 
show  that  he's  made  of  flesh  and  blood,  like  the 
rest  of  us,  —  and  pockets  into  the  bargain  !  " 

"There  was  a  time  when  you  might  have  applied 
them,  —  and  I  think  you  did." 

"  Oh,  I  belonged  to  the  light  artillery  !  "  returned 
Muhlbach,  laughing.  "  I  don't  pretend  to  come 
into  competition  with  a  hundred-ton  Armstrong,  like 
you." 

"  If  I  had  ever  offered  him  a  cent,  I  should  have 
seen  the  last  of  him,"  Drayton  said.  "I  had  work 
enough  to  get  him  to  accede  to  the  necessary  manip 
ulation  of  the  other  men.  He  wanted  everything 
brought  out  in  open  daylight." 


282  LOVE— OR  A   NAME. 

"Well,  for  my  part,  I  prefer  a  man  I  can  work 
with.  I  don't  cotton  to  saints  much.  And  I  don't 
know  why  you  should.  You  don't  belong  to  that 
gang  yourself.  Between  you  and  me  and  the  bottle, 
you  know  that  cloth  operation  of  yours  in  '63  will 
never  be  inscribed  in  the  Golden  Book." 

Dray  ton  was  silent. 

"And  they  do  say,  you  know,"  continued  the 
Judge,  "that  Mrs.  Drayton's  early  departure  to  a 
more  congenial  world  was  not  entirely  due  to  con 
genital  delicacy  of  constitution." 

"G — d — you,  sir!"  cried  Drayton,  starting  up, 
and  striking  his  hand  upon  the  table.  "  The  time 
has  not  yet  come  when  I  can  be  insulted  with  im 
punity.  I  came  here  with  an  offer  —  to  take  or  to 
leave.  Let  me  have  my  answer,  and  be  gone  !  " 

"  There  !  there  !  my  dear  man,  keep  cool !  No 
offence  in  the  world.  Nothing  but  my  cursed 
curiosity ;  it  always  was  my  weak  point.  As  to 
your  answer,  I've  already  given  you  the  best  answer 
I've  got.  But  I'll  tell  you  what  you  ought  to  do  : 
you  ought  to  see  the  fellow  who  peached  on  you, 
and  gave  us  the  information.  He's  the  man  to  make 
terms  with,  if  they're  to  be  made.  You  know  who 
he  is,  of  course?" 

"  The  world  is  a  small  place,"  returned  Drayton, 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  283 

gritting  his  teeth  together.  "  I  shall  run  across  him 
sooner  or  later.  At  present  I  confess  I  can't  iden 
tify  him." 

"  Why,  here  he  is  now  ! "  exclaimed  the  Judge, 
as  the  door  at  the  back  of  the  dining-room  opened. 
"Just  in  the  nick  of  time,  like  a  man  in  a  play. 
Drayton,  I  think  you  know  my  friend,  Tom  Peeks- 
kill?" 

"Drayton  thought  he  knew  me,  too,"  said  Tom, 
coming  forward,  with  a  swagger  in  his  tone.  "  But 
we  live  and  learn,  — the  best  of  us  do.  Well,  sir," 
he  continued,  turning  to  Drayton,  "here  I  am,  at 
your  service,  as  the  cabbage  said  to  the  cow." 

"What  have  I  to  do  with  you,  Peekskill?"  de 
manded  Drayton,  contemptuously.  "You  must  be 
drunk.  I  have  nothing  to  say  to  you,  sir." 

"Please  yourself,  old  man,"  Tom  replied,  lightly. 

"  Only,  I'm  the  little  bird  that  whispered  the 
tidings  of  great  joy  to  the  Judge  here." 

"You?  You  are  a  liar!"  cried  Drayton,  still 
contemptuously.  "  You  had  no  information  to  give." 

"  Ah  !  that's  just  where  you  make  a  mistake.  I 
got  the  straight  tip,  —  and  from  near  home,  too." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"I  mean  Lizzie.  I  call  her  Betsy,  for  short," 
said  Tom,  with  a  laugh. 


284  LOVE  —  OR  A  NAME. 

"Look  here,  Peekskill,"  said  Dray  ton,  lowering 
his  voice  to  an  ominous  monotone,  "your  drunken 
ness  or  your  insanity,  whichever  it  is,  shall  not  save 
you.  You  know  my  power  over  you;  and  the 
time  has  come  to  use  it.  You  will  leave  this  room 
at  once,  and  this  city  to-morrow  morning.  If  you 
ever  let  me  see  or  hear  of  you  again  in  any  part  of 
the  civilized  world  you  will  rot  in  jail  from  that  day 
forth,  like  the  thief  and  forger  you  are  !  Now  be 
off!" 

tf  That  for  your  power  over  me  !  "  retorted  Tom, 
snapping  his  fingers.  "How  would  you  like  to 
swallow  a  slice  out  of  your  own  loaf,  old  gentleman  ? 
So  you  doubt  my  statement  as  to  the  source  of  my 
information,  eh?  Well,  suppose  you  cast  your  eye 
over  that  letter  —  and  that — and  that;  and  I  have 
more  here  when  you're  ready  for  'em  !  Eecognize 
the  chirography,  don't  you  ?  No  forgery  about  that, 
is  there?  Expresses  herself  well,  doesn't  she?  and 
signs  her  name  prettily,  too.  Oh,  Betsy  and  I 
have  been  at  work  a  long  time  !  We  haven't  had 
any  secrets  from  each  other  for  the  last  year  or 
more,  — not  one.  I  give  you  my  word." 

While  Tom  was  delivering  himself  in  this  arch 
fashion  Drayton  had  been  steadily  reading  through 
the  letters.  As  he  did  so  his  face  assumed  an 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  285 

expression  of  anguish  so  ghastly  that  the  Judge, 
after  muttering  a  word  or  two  in  an  undertone  to 
Peekskill,  quietly  went  out  of  the  room.  He  had 
delicate  sensibilities,  and  did  not  care  to  have  them 
exasperated  unnecessarily.  Tom  and  Dray  ton  were 
alone  when  the  latter  raised  his  eyes  from  the  letters 
and  gazed  at  him. 

"  I  gather  from  these  letters,"  he  began,  in  a  dis 
sonant  voice,  which  he  seemed  unable  to  modulate  as 
usual,  "  that  you  have  been  secretly  paying  court  to 
my  daughter,  and  have  so  far  won  upon  her  as  to 
induce  her  to  tell  you  things  which  I  had  confided  to 
her  honor,  and  to  give  you  the  right  to  —  claim  her 
hand."  Here  Tom  was  about  to  speak;  but  Dray- 
ton  held  up  his  haricl  to  impose  silence.  "  I  wish  to 
say,"  he  went  on,  moistening  his  lips,  and  with 
manifest  effort,  "  that  I  accept  the  situation  which 
my  daughter  has  seen  fit  to  bring  about.  Her 
wishes  are  my  wishes.  You  know  in  what  light  I 
have  hitherto  regarded  you ;  but  she  has  discovered 
in  you  qualities  which  fit  you  to  be  her  husband. 
I  —  I  am  willing  to  receive  you  as  my  son-in-law. 
Come  to  my  house  to-morrow,  and  "  — 

"Now  just  listen  to  me,  Drayton,"  Tom  inter 
rupted,  half  seating  himself  on  the  table,  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets.  "  You  and  I  are  men  of  the 


286  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

world,  and  you  ought  to  know  that  all  that  talk  isn't 
going  to  draw  any  wool  over  my  eyes.  You  have 
treated  me  about  as  you  liked  for  several  years  past. 
I  have  been  waiting  my  chance  to  get  even  with 
you,  and  I'm  not  going  to  let  you  off  quite  so  easily. 
I  want  to  see  you  dance  to  the  same  tune  that 
you've  been  making  me  dance  to.  I  want  to  see 
how  you  look  on  your  marrow-bones.  You  say 
you're  willing  to  receive  me  for  your  son-in-law. 
But  suppose  I  was  to  say  that  I'm  not  in  the  humor, 
just  at  present,  to  receive  you  as  my  father-in-law  ? 
What  would  you  think  of  that?" 

"  I  don't  think  I  catch  your  meaning,"  said  Dray- 
ton,  huskily. 

"  Say,  old  gentleman,  your  wits  are  getting  rusty 
aint  they?  Well,  I  put  it  plainer,  if  you  will  have  it. 
It  isn't  customary,  as  the  world  goes,  for  a  man 
to  marry  a  woman  after  he's  got  all  he  wants  out 
of  her,  except  as  a  special  favor  and  condescen 
sion.  Well,  that's  about  the  way  it  is  between 
Betsy  and  me.  I've  no  more  use  for  her,  —  that's 
the  short  of  it.  I'm  sorry  for  her,  and  all  that; 
but  I'm  not  bound  to  give  her  my  name  because  she 
chose  to  make  a  fool  of  herself.  My  advice  to  you 
is  to  take  her  to  Europe,  or  Patagonia,  or  some 
such  place,  and  give  it  out  that  she's  a  widow  whose 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  287 

husband  died  three  months  after  marriage  ;  or  marry 
her  to  your  friend  Warren  Bell,  if  you  can." 

When  Tom  ceased  Drayton  was  standing  in  the 
position  which  he  had  assumed  when  the  first  sen 
tences  were  uttered,  —  with  one  hand  partly  raised, 
and  his  lips  parted.  He  remained  motionless,  like 
a  man  of  wax,  with  a  look  of  terror  frozen  in  his 
eyes.  So  might  a  man  have  appeared  who  had  been 
stricken  dead  by  some  hideous  spectre.  For  what 
seemed  a  long  time  he  stood  so  still  that  Tom  began 
to  believe  he  was  dead.  But  at  last  he  spoke,  in  a 
thin,  astounded  voice. 

"My  daughter  !  "  he  said. 

There  was  another  pause.  Then  Tom  got  off  the 
table,  sauntered  up  to  him,  still  with  his  hands  in 
his  pockets. 

"Say,  look  here!"  he  said.  "I'm  not  going  to 
be  too  hard  on  you.  I've  had  my  fun,  and  I  guess 
you  won't  forget  me  in  a  hurry.  I've  smashed  your 
scheme,  and  played  the  devil  with  your  arrange 
ments  generally,  and  now  I'm  pretty  near  through. 
I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do  with  you.  You  give  me  a 
blank  check,  to  fill  up  as  my  convenience  may  dic 
tate,  and  to-morrow  you  and  I  and  Lizzie  will  drive 
over  to  the  magistrate's,  and  I'll  do  the  right  thing 
by  her.  But  I  give  you  fair  warning  that  you'll  have 


288  LOVE— OR   A   NAME. 

to  look  out  for  her  after  that.  I  shall  trot  off  on  a 
vacation,  and  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  you  can 
get  her  a  divorce  on  the  ground  of  desertion,  — see? 
That's  my  ultimatum  ;  and  if  you  don't  take  it,  why, 
then  you'll  have  to  take  the  consequences, — and 
she,  too,  —  that's  all !  " 

There  was  a  decanter  of  brandy  on  the  table ; 
Dray  ton  took  it,  poured  out  a  glass  of  the  liquor, 
and  drank  it  off.  The  blood  returned  to  his  cheek, 
and  his  eyes  brightened.  He  drew  himself  up  to 
his  full  height,  and  gazed  curiously  at  Tom,  who 
stood  within  arm's  reach  of  him.  His  right  hand 
still  rested  on  the  decanter. 

"You  have  mistaken  your  man,  Peekskill,"  he 
said,  quietly.  "  You  played  your  last  card  the  day 
you  deceived  my  daughter.  To  save  her  I  would 
gladly  have  given  you  my  whole  fortune.  To  save 
her  public  reputation,  or  my  own,  I  would  not  give 
you  a  cent.  As  the  suitor  whom  she  had  accepted 
you  might  have  married  her ;  as  the  scoundrel  who 
has  ruined  her  you  would  receive  at  my  hands  only 
the  reception  due  to  a  scoundrel.  To-morrow  will 
see  you  either  a  fugitive  from  justice  or  a  convicted 
felon  ;  but  meanwhile  "  — 

It    was    done   so    instantaneously    that    Susan  — 
who,   quaking   with  fear    and    curiosity,   had    been 


SUSAN'S  IMMORALITY.  289 

peeping  through  the  crack  of  the  door  —  saw  the 
effect  before  she  realized  the  act.  Drayton  had 
grasped  the  neck  of  the  massive  cut-glass  decanter, 
and  brought  the  weapon  down  with  the  utmost 
force  of  his  powerful  arm  full  upon  Peekskill's  up 
turned  face.  The  decanter  flew  into  fragments ; 
Tom  was  hurled  to  the  floor  senseless  and  dis 
figured;  and  Drayton,  after  looking  down  at  him 
for  a  moment,  turned  and  walked  out  of  the  room 
by  one  door,  just  as  Judge  Muhlbach,  who  had  heard 
the  fall,  came  in  at  another. 

As  for  Susan,  as  soon  as  the  general  preoccupa 
tion  of  the  household  in  the  collapsed  Peekskill  had 
left  the  coast  clear,  she  made  her  escape  with  what 
secrecy  and  despatch  she  might,  and  proceeded  to 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  street  as  fast  as  the 
elevated  railway  could  carry  her. 


290  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 


CHAPTER   XXIH 

LIFE    AND    DEATH. 

ABOUT  half-past  nine  o'clock  that  evening, 
Warren  was  passing  the  Windsor  Hotel,  when  he 
was  hailed  by  a  mellow  Hibernian  voice,  and  saw 
Mr.  Terence  O'Ryan  coming  down  the  steps. 

"Well,  and  have  ye  heard  the  news,  Mr.  Bell?" 
that  gentleman  inquired. 

"  About  the  illness  of  the  Republican  candidate  ? 
That's  stale." 

"  So  'tis  ;  and  a  bit  of  a  lie  into  the  bargain,  I'm 
thinking.  But  no ;  ye're  behind  the  times.  It's 
the  whaling  that  blackguard  Tom  Peekskill's  been 
gcttin',  I  mane." 

"  W-what's  that  ?     Who  did  it  ?  " 

"  Who  in  the  world  but  our  distinguished  friend 
and  your  prospective  father-in-law,  Mr.  Seth  Dray- 
ton.  Faith,  I  wish  I'd  been  prisent  to  hold  the 
sponge.  Bedad  I  Tom's  nose  is  smeared  all  over 
his  face,  and  he'll  have  to  bite  off  the  ends  of  his 
cigars  with  his  penknife  for  the  future,  for  eight  of 
his  front  teeth  are  gone  down  his  throat,  —  and  his 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  291 

havin'  two  upper  lips  instead  of  one  won't  make  up 
for  it." 

"  Drayton  !     Where  did  it  happen  ?  " 

"Judge  Muhlbach  was  the  stakeholder  and"  — 

"What  was  it  about?" 

"  Well,  now,  ye  Ye  axin'  me  the  same  question 
that  I've  shook  my  head  at  a  hundred  and  twenty 
times  in  the  last  hour,  Mr.  Bell,  which  is  as  much 
as  to  say,  I  could  tell  if  I  would ;  and,  I  may  add 
in  sthrict  confidence,  I  would  tell  if  I  knew.  The 
truth  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  well,  and  all  the  boys 
is  pourin'  down  whiskey  to  try  and  see  if  they  can't 
float  it  up  to  the  top  ;  but  hitherto  without  result. 
Howiver,  I've  some  notions  of  my  own  on  the  sub 
ject,  and,  you  bein'  yourself,  I'll  be  after  impartin' 
'em  to  ye.  Tom  was  at  the  Hoffman  night  before 
last,  as  tight  as  a  lord,  and  I  took  him  under  my 
charge,  to  get  him  out  of  the  way  and  to  bed.  So, 
as  we  were  goin'  along,  says  he,  f  I've  got  that 
darned  beggar's  goose  cooked  for  him,  and  I'll  make 
him  swallow  it  wrong  end  foremost,'  —  or  words  to 
that  effect.  '  Who's  that?'  says  I.  'None  o'  your 
business  ! '  says  he  ;  *  The  gal  and  I  put  up  the  job 
on  him ;  and  a  nice  domestic  palaver  she  and 
Warren  Bell  will  have  when  they  go  on  their  honey 
moon  ! '  and  with  that  he  took  to  chucklin',  like  the 


292  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

drunken  spalpeen  he  is, —  bad  luck  to  him  !  Now, 
you  may  think  different,  Mr.  Bell,  —  every  man  has 
his  own  opinion ;  but  it  looks  to  me  mighty  like  as 
if  Tom  Peekskill  had  been  playin'  a  low-down  game 
on  Drayton ;  and  when  I  heard  of  the  row  this 
night,  'Faith,'  I  said,  *  that's  where  the  shoe 

• 

pinches  !  " 

"Where  is  Peekskill?"  asked  Warren  in  a  few 
moments. 

"At  the  New  York  Hospital ;  but  he's  not  at  all 
in  a  conversational  mood, — more  by  token  he'll 
never  be  able  to  talk  straight  again,  —  and  no  loss 
to  the  public,  either." 

"  Have  you  s-seen  Drayton  ?  " 

"  No,  I've  not ;  but  I  was  just  thinkin'  'twould  be 
no  bad  plan  to  drop  in  and  pass  the  time  of  day  with 
him." 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  Warren.  "I  must  know 
the  rights  of  this  business  at  once."  And  they 
turned  eastward  towards  Madison  avenue. 

"  You'll  likely  know  more  about  Drayton  than  I 
do,"  Terence  remarked,  as  they  walked  along. 
"He's  always  acted  square  by  me,  and  Terence 
O'Ryan  was  never  the  man  to  go  back  on  his 
friends.  All  the  same,  I  misdoubt  he  had  schemes 
in  his  head  that  were  no  safer,  in  a  country  like  this, 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  293 

than  dynamite  cartridges  in  a  blacksmith  shop. 
There's  plenty  of  deviltry  goin'  on,  — no  one  denies 
that,  —  and  the  boys  keep  a  brighter  look-out  for 
number  one  than  they  do  for  the  rocks  ahead  ;  but 
the  way  to  stop  it  isn't  to  chuck  the  crew  overboard 
and  sail  the  ship  alone.  America's  a  mighty  queer 
place  that  way ;  seems  like  you  could  do  about  as 
you  please,  and  no  one  bother  about  it;  but  one 
particular  thing  you  can't  do,  no  matter  if  you  was 
Washington  and  Lincoln  and  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
all  in  one  skin;  and, — maybe  I'm  wrong,  —  I 
wouldn't  be  surprised  at  all  if  that  was  the  very 
thing  Seth  Dray  ton's  been  trying  his  hand  at." 

"There's  nothing  like  the  Kepublic,  after  all!" 
muttered  Warren,  with  a  secret  sigh. 

When  they  reached  Drayton's  house  O'Ryan  rang 
the  bell. 

"Will  Mr.  Drayton  be  at  home,  my  man?"  he 
said  to  the  servant  who  opened  the  door. 

"  Mr.  Drayton  is  out,  sir,"  began  the  footman ; 
then,  recognizing  Warren,  he  added,  "  Beg  pardon, 
Mr.  Bell :  master  said  to  refuse  him  to  visitors  ;  but 
of  course  it  don't  apply  to  you,  sir." 

They  entered,  and,  as  the  door  closed,  a  sharp, 
violent  noise  resounded  upstairs.  They  all  looked 
at  one  another. 


294  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"  Sure,  Fourth  of  July  don't  come  in  winter !  " 
said  O'Ryan,  with  a  grimace. 

"  Hold  your  tongue  !"  said  Warren,  turning  pale. 
A  minute  passed ;  there  was  no  further  sound. 
"Where  is  Mr.  Drayton?"  Warren  asked. 

"  He  went  up  to  his  room  over  an  hour  ago,  sir," 
replied  the  servant  timorously. 

"  Stay  here,"  said  Warren  to  O'Ryan,  "  and  don't 
come  up  unless  I  call  you."  He  walked  upstairs 
with  his  hat  and  overcoat  still  on.  Dray  ton's  room 
was  the  first  door  on  the  right  of  the  landing. 
Warren  knocked,  but  there  was  no  answer.  He 
tried  the  latch,  and  it  yielded  to  his  hand.  He 
went  in ;  the  room  was  lighted,  and  a  fire  was 
burning  in  the  open  grate.  In  an  easy-chair,  at  a 
table  between  the  windows,  Drayton  was  sitting. 
He  had  on  the  velvet  lounging-coat  which  he  often 
wore  in  private.  He  sat  as  if  in  profound  thought, 
his  head  bent  forward,  his  arms  hanging  loosely  by 
his  sides ;  his  long  beard  swept  down  over  his 
breast.  He  did  not  look  up,  or  move,  as  Warren 
approached.  But  the  young  man  had  come  quite 
close  before  he  detected  the  blood  that  matted  the 
beard  and  stained  the  velvet  waistcoat.  The  man 
of  many  schemes  and  many  millions  was  dead. 

The  revolver  with  which  he  had  killed  himself  lay 


LIFE  AND  DEATU.  295 

on  the  floor,  where  it  had  fallen  from  his  hand. 
He  must  have  died  instantly ;  indeed ,  two  minutes 
had  not  elapsed  since  he  fired  the  shot.  On  the 
table  beside  him  Warren  saw  a  fold  of  white  paper, 
which  he  took  up  with  the  expectation  of  finding  a 
dying  message  written  on  it.  But  the  writing  was 
not  in  Drayton's  hand,  but  in  that  of  his  daughter, 
and  ran  as  follows  :  — 

DEAREST  PAPA,  —  You  will  know  very  soon  why  I  can't 
marry  Warren  Bell,  and  why  I  am  gone.  There  was  nothing 
else  to  do.  I  did  not  want  to  be  the  weapon  that  Tom  used 
against  you.  One  thing  led  to  another  before  I  knew  what  I 
was  about.  I  didn't  know  much  any  way.  I  always  loved  you, 
papa  dear,  although  I  deceived  and  betrayed  you,  and  now  I 
know  that  you  are  the  only  person  I  love  in  the  world.  But  I 
am  going,  for  you  would  be  sure  to  make  some  sacrifice  for  me 
if  I  stayed,  and  I  am  not  worth  any  sacrifice.  I  don't  mean 
that  I  am  going  to  kill  myself  —  I  shouldn't  like  to  do  that  — 
but  I  must  go,  and  you  won't  be  able  to  find  me,  and  I  hope  you 
won't  try.  There's  one  thing :  I  wouldn't  marry  Tom  now, 
even  if  he  wished  it.  He  never  really  cared  for  me,  and  the 
strangest  thing  is  that  I  don't  believe  I  ever  really  cared  for  him. 
I  don't  even  so  much  as  hate  him  now.  And  yet,  just  think 
how  I  behaved !  These  wicked  and  terrible  things  seem  just 
the  same  as  ordinary  fun,  until  they're  done,  and  then  you  see 
the  difference;  but  then  it's  too  late.  I  am  very  sorry;  but 
I  don't  half  understand  how  it  all  could  have  happened.  Try 
to  forgive  me,  papa  dear.  Your  daughter,  LIZZIE. 

Warren  read  this  letter  through  twice,  and  then 


296  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

put  it  in  his  pocket.  It  appalled  him  even  more 
than  the  body  of  the  man  whose  death  it  had  prob 
ably  caused.  Standing  there,  and  staring  at  the 
corpse,  he  fell  into  a  horrible  revery,  which  might 
have  ended  in  a  further  tragedy,  had  not  Terence 
O'Ryan,  wearying  of  the  uncertainty  down-stairs, 
taken  the  liberty  to  step  up  and  see  what  was  the 
matter. 

Lizzie  had  left  the  house  only  about  ten  minutes 
before  her  father  reentered  it,  on  his  return  from 
Muhlbach's.  She  had  taken  what  money  she  had 
about  her  (about  $1,000)  and  a  small  satchel  con 
taining  some  jewels  and  toilet  articles.  She  had 
written  on  a  blank  card  a  name  and  address,  copied 
from  an  advertisement  in  a  newspaper,  and,  with  no 
further  equipment  or  ceremony,  had  set  forth  on  her 
journey  into  the  unknown.  Crossing  over  to  Third 
avenue,  she  entered  a  horse-car,  and  proceeded  up 
town.  After  a  ride  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the 
conductor  announced  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth 
street,  and  she  got  out,  holding  in  her  hand  the  card 
with  the  address. 

The  evening  was  dark,  and  the  street-lamps  were 
few.  Lizzie  had  eaten  nothing  since  her  luncheon 
of  tea  and  sponge-cake,  and  felt  weak.  The  mental 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  297 

excitement  which  had  sustained  her  during  the  day 
had  subsided,  leaving  her  depressed  and  forlorn. 
And  now  that  she  had  cut  herself  adrift  from  her 
past  life,  and  was  face  to  face  with  a  strange  and 
untried  future,  the  courage  with  which  imagination 
had  supplied  her  gave  out.  It  is  the  details  of  life 
that  make  it  difficult  and  wretched,  as  well  as  agree 
able  and  easy.  The  forecasts  of  the  mind  are  too 
sweeping  and  direct. 

Lizzie  continued  to  walk  on,  but  the  farther  she 
went  the  more  hesitating  did  her  steps  become. 
She  was  not  made  for  heroic  enterprises,  —  even 
such  dismal  heroism  as  this ;  nor  did  her  pride  sup 
port  her  as  she  had  expected  it  would  do.  And  yet 
she  felt  that  it  would  be  more  impossible  to  return 
than  to  go  on.  Impossible  in  one  way  and  yet  so 
easy  in  another  !  But  no ;  she  could  not  face  her 
father,  after  the  letter  she  had  written  him.  This 
was  not  a  society  play,  — like  one  she  had  seen  at  a 
New  York  theatre,  when,  after  the  suffering  was  over, 
all  ended  happily  at  last,  —  this  was  real ;  there  was 
no  rescuer,  no  forgiveness,  and  no  sympathetic  audi 
ence.  The  people  who  met  her  passed  her  by  with 
out  notice,  or  regarded  her  with  a  scrutiny  that  was 
not  flattering.  And  yet  she  had  been  a  sort  of 
queen  in  New  York  society ;  nay,  were  she  to  ap- 


298  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

pear  in  full  toilet  at  any  one  of  a  hundred  houses  to 
night,  she  would  be  caressed  and  admired.  To-night, 
—  but  how  to-morrow  !  She  went  on,  but  she  hardly 
knew  where  she  was ;  she  did  not  care  to  know. 
Suddenly  she  began  to  think  of  the  ball  at  which  she 
had  first  met  Tom  Peekskill.  How  graceful,  witty, 
and  clever  he  had  seemed !  How  much  she  had 
laughed  and  talked  !  How  well  he  had  led  the  ger- 
man,  and  how  delightfully  they  had  danced  together  ! 
How  inspiring  was  the  music,  the  lights  how  brill 
iant,  and  how  fragrant  the  bouquet  of  flowers  he  gave 
her  !  And  now,  how  dark  and  cold  was  the  night, 
and  how  weary  and  hopeless  she  was  ! 

Some  men  came  running  down  the  street,  shout 
ing  hoarsely.  A  bell  was  ringing  somewhere. 
There  was  a  red  glow  in  the  sky ;  and  now  the 
crowd  increased,  all  shouting  and  running.  They 
seemed  to  be  coming  towards  her.  Bewildered  and 
terrified,  she  left  the  sidewalk  and  tried  to  cross  the 
street.  All  was  confusion  and  uproar.  There  was 
a  clatter  of  galloping  horses  and  a  roar  of  wheels 
and  din  of  bells.  A  man  made  a  dash  at  her  out  of 
the  darkness.  She  ran  to  get  out  of  his  way, 
stumbled,  and  staggered  forward.  The  wheels  and 
hoofs  were  close  upon  her ;  something  struck  her 
violently  on  her  side ;  then  the  uproar  dwindled, 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  299 

and  she  seemed  to  hear  once  more  the  rhythmic 
music  of  the  waltz,  and  smell  the  perfume  of  the 
flowers.  What  was  she  saying  !  —  "  My  ideal  of 
life  is,  that  it  should  be  a  continual  german,  with 
new  figures  and  favors  all  the  time.  You  get  all 
wound  up,  and  think  you  are  lost,  and  then,  at  the 
last  moment,  you  come  out  all  right,  in  a  burst  of 
music  ! " 

She  opened  her  eyes.  The  room  was  quiet  and 
neat.  It  was  early  dawn,  and  the  bed  on  which  she 
lay  had  some  flowers  upon  it.  A  lady  with  a  grave, 
beautiful  face  sat  beside  her.  Another  lady,  stout 
and  good-natured,  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  bed ; 
tears  were  running  down  her  cheeks.  There  was 
some  one  she  knew  in  the  room,  but  Lizzie  could 
not  see  who  it  was  :  he  stood  behind. 

"  Are  not  you  Miss  Anthony  ?  "  Lizzie  asked,  in  a 
whisper. 

"Yes." 

"  How  came  we  here  ?     Where  is  it  ?  " 

"At  the  place  you  were  coming  to,  —  at  home." 

"  I  don't  remember.  What  makes  my  voice  so 
faint  ?  Am  I  ill  ?  I  feel  no  pain." 

Nell  Anthony  smiled.  "You  will  have  no  pain 
any  more." 

"  Where  is  father?  "  Lizzie  asked,  after  a  while. 


300  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

"  You  will  meet  him  soon,  please  God." 

After  another  pause,  she  asked,  "Who  is  this 
standing  at  the  head  of  my  bed  ?  " 

He  came  forward,  and  looked  down  at  her. 

"Why,  it  is  Warren  Bell!  Oh,  now  I  under 
stand  !  You  do  love  each  other  after  all.  I  was 
sure  you  did.  You  are  going  to  be  his  wife,  aren't 
you?" 

"  There  are  better  things  than  marriage  in  the 
world." 

"No,  there  is  nothing  better,"  said  Lizzie ;  "not 
—  not  if  you  love  each  other." 

"They  were  her  last  words,"  said  Warren  Bell; 
"  and  they  w-were  true  !  " 

Men  and  women  in  this  world  do  almost  as  they 
please,  some  following  the  good  and  some  the  evil ; 
and  sometimes  the  evil  seem  happy,  and  sometimes 
the  good  seem  miserable.  But  the  thirst  for  renown 
is  never  slaked ;  it  waxes  sharper  with  indulgence. 
Love  of  self  assumes  many  forms,  noble  and  igno 
ble  ;  but,  whether  it  blaze  gloriously  or  smoulder 
basely,  its  final  outcome  can  only  be  a  handful  of 
dead  ashes.  After  so  many  struggles,  sophistries, 
triumphs,  and  jealousies,  that  is  the  end. 

But  this   destroying  angel,    born   of  man,  has  a 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  301 

counterpart,  whose  origin  is  Divine,  and  who  cre 
ates  where  the  other  consumes.  This  love,  too,  is 
insatiable, —  but  insatiable  in  giving,  not  in  taking; 
and  the  more  it  gives,  the  more  it  has  to  give,  and 
the  greater  is  its  delight  in  giving.  But,  whether 
that  which  it  gives  be  comparatively  much  or  little, 
it  is  always  the  most  precious  of  all  gifts,  for  it  is 
love.  The  essence  of  the  other  love  is  death ;  but 
this  love  is  life  itself,  and  it  is  immortal,  because 
whatever  it  touches  it  transmutes  into  the  likeness 
of  itself. 

Between  these  two  powers  the  world  is  divided ; 
nor  is  there  any  human  being  in  whose  heart  that 
division  is  not  found  ;  and  according  as  the  propor 
tions  vary  does  good  or  evil  prevail.  Often  you 
can  scarce  distinguish  one  from  the  other,  even  in 
yourself,  though  the  gulf  between  them  is  neverthe 
less  as  deep  as  that  which  separates  heaven  from 
hell.  We  are  misled  most  of  all  by  success, 
which  seems  the  test  of  merit,  but  is  never  given  in 
this  world  as  a  reward ;  it  is  only  the  most  inscruta 
ble  of  the  dispensations  of  Providence. 

There  are  many  so-called  philanthropists,  —  men 
who  will  cure  the  world  with  a  patent  nostrum  >  or 
a  political  formula,  or  a  moral  apothegm.  But 
these  infallible  prescriptions,  when  they  are  ana- 


302  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

lyzed,  invariably  resolve  themselves  into  one  essen 
tial  element, — self.  The  men  who  have  truly 
beatified  mankind  have  done  so  unconsciously  or 
inevitably,  by  an  inborn  divine  energy  of  nature, 
and  oftenest  they  are  never  identified  with  their 
deeds.  It  is  not  the  inventor  or  proprietor  of  the 
best  sauce,  or  telegraph,  or  government,  that 
deserves  the  gratitude  of  his  fellows,  but  he  who 
shows  us  how  unimportant  are  these  things  to  the 
real  greatness  and  peace  of  life.  The  test  of  a  man 
is  not  whether  he  can  govern  a  kingdom  single- 
handed,  but  whether  his  private  life  is  tender  and 
beneficent,  and  his  wife  and  children  happy.  If  I 
could  write  my  name  in  stars  across  the  heavens  I 
should  be  put  to  shame  by  the  man  whose  home 
brightens  whenever  he  enters  it,  and  whose  true 
name  is  known  only  to  his  wife,  for  she  invented  it 
when  they  were  young  lovers. 

Seth  Drayton  had  made  more  than  one  will 
during  his  lifetime,  but  after  his  death  no  will  was 
found.  He  left  no  descendants,  and  his  enormous 
fortune  was  therefore  claimed  by  an  indeterminate 
number  of  real  or  supposititious  relatives ;  and  the 
lawsuits  thereupon  arising  will  only  come  to  an 
end  when  there  are  no  millions  left  to  fight  about. 

The  Independent  candidate  was  not  elected;  for 


LIFE  AND  DEATH.  303 

the  report  that  one  of  his  rivals  was  suffering 
from  an  incurable  disease  turned  out  the  next  day 
to  be  totally  without  foundation ;  and  events  fol 
lowed  their  natural  course.  The  surviving  members 
of  the  "Pactolus"  syndicate,  who,  for  some  reason 
never  fully  explained,  had  anticipated  a  large  share 
of  patronage  under  the  new  administration,  were 
consequently  thrown  into  dismay  and  confusion,  and 
their  attempts  to  rehabilitate  themselves  were  only 
partially  successful.  But,  since  the  pleasure  of  the 
chase  is  in  the  pursuit  and  not  in  the  capture,  there 
is  every  prospect  that  none  of  these  able  gentlemen 
will  ever  lack  enjoyment.  Tom  Peekskill,  how 
ever,  has  had  genuine  good  luck ;  for  he  has  become 
the  proprietor  of  a  superb  new  hotel,  just  erected 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  and  is  already  reputed 
to  be  enormously  rich.  His  face  is  hideously  dis 
figured  by  an  unfortunate  accident ;  but  he  is  a 
mine  of  good  stories  and  good-fellowship ;  and,  as 
to  his  social  repute,  he  is  on  intimate  terms  with 
Judge  Muhlbach,  and  other  persons  of  almost  as 
eminent  respectability. 

Susan  Wayne's  "  Home  "  turned  out  to  be  popu 
lar  in  a  rather  unexpected  sense.  When  its  charac 
ter  and  scope  became  known  it  had  many  more 
applicants  than  it  was  possible  to  accommodate ;  not 


304  LOVE— OR  A  NAME. 

so  much  owing  to  an  increase  of  wickedness  in  the 
class  which  it  aimed  to  benefit  as  to  the  difficulty  of 
determining  who  did  belong  to  that  class  and  who 
did  not,  —  a  delicate  question  under  the  most  favor 
able  conditions,  but  especially  so  in  a  republic. 
Susan  had  trouble  enough  even  while  Nell  Anthony 
remained  to  assist  her,  but  when  she  was  left  (as 
ultimately  happened)  to  her  own  devices  she  became 
hopelessly  bewildered,  and  at  length  sold  out  the 
establishment  to  the  proprietor  of  a  private  high- 
class  school  for  young  ladies.  Susan  has  since 
then  become  interested  in  the  recent  development 
among  us  of  art-needlework,  and  is  the  cause  of 
a  great  deal  of  good  work  being  done  in  that 
direction. 

As  to  Warren  Bell,  though  it  was  at  one  time 
rumored  that  there  was  some  likelihood  of  his 
taking  part  in  political  life,  nothing  confirmatory 
of  the  rumor  has  ever  come  to  light.  The  best  I 
can  say  of  him  is,  that  I  do  not  know  what  has 
become  of  him,  but  that,  be  he  where  he  may, 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  she  whom  we  have 
known  as  Nell  Anthony  is  with  him.  Yet,  even  in 
the  light  of  her  presence,  there  will  always  be  a 
shadow  on  his  heart. 


